


Something Sus, Can't Be Black, Tho

by SkyVenom



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Alien Impostor(s) (Among Us), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Among Us (Video Game) Setting, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Murder, Best Friends, Blood and Violence, Crewmate Black (Among Us), Crewmate Turned Impostor (Among Us), Evil Mira HQ, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mira HQ (Among Us), Original Character Death(s), POV Alternating, The Skeld (Among Us), Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:21:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyVenom/pseuds/SkyVenom
Summary: Everything is well upon the Skeld until a near death experience leaves a crewmate forever changed and suspicions rising among the rest.Rating is for moments of descriptive violence, harsh language, and some body horror
Kudos: 17





	1. Welcome to the Skeld

  
Sky walked out of her room and onto the main part of the ship, tucking her hands close to her in anxiety. This was an entirely new experience, going into space for the first time. 

She looked around at her companions. 

Pink, or Dalton, rather as he had quickly asserted with a handshake that was a bit too rough. Purple was Vritra, a dragon and a friend for years on Earth. He was someone she had gone to astronaut school with. 

Red was a strange but funny raptor-like demon named Figment. 

Lime was Baten, a trained medic demon dragon. 

They had spoken briefly about navigation by star formations. Sky hadn't gotten to meet any of the other crew yet. She made her way towards the black-suited demon guy she saw looking out a window.

"Hello, I'm Cyan but really call me Sky, it's what I was called on Earth." She said as she offered her hand to shake his. Her tail swished gently, nervous at being the first to make a move to greet him instead of vice versa. He watched her for a moment before shaking her hand. 

"I'm Blackjack , but really, just call me Jack. It's nice to meet you." He said with a faint smile she decided was much better than the neutral expression he wore before. She wondered if he was anxious and introverted like she was. She believed he was, given he was by himself in a room full of nine others before she had approached him. While others mingled and laughed and spoke, he was quietly doing his own thing off by the cafe window. 

"Would you like to try some ice cream?" She offered, hoping to break the ice with him. She had the impression that there was more to him than this quiet, and kind of brooding dark figure portrayed.

"Yes I think I'd like that. I've been hungry since we got here." Blackjack admitted with a bit more of a smile than before. 

" _Same._ It's been so hard sitting with the safety straps on in my room, waiting for launch to be over so we could get into stable flight and move around again." Sky agreed quickly. They opened their tablets and scrolled through the food options. Dessert seemed like a nice way to start the trip. Blackjack selected ice cream sandwiches, paying with the usual credits. Upon arrival of the treats, they sat across from each other at a cafeteria table and ate. "So, what did you join the team for?" Sky asked. 

"Skylasha!" Vritra interrupted, waving. 

“Oh hi Vritra!" She called with a polite wave before turning back to face Blackjack again. "Sorry about that. Space school friend." She added politely.

"No problem." Blackjack replied, taking another bite of his ice cream sandwich.

"I'm actually a tech expert, and believe me when I tell you the schooling took _forever and a half_ I mean it." He chuckled. 

Sky laughed a little.

"I'll take your word for it, all I know is coding and that alone takes forever to learn. Very fun though once you've got it down." She responded. 

"Say would you like something more filling than ice cream? I'm still hungry." Blackjack said suddenly. He had eaten it already. 

"Sure, why not." Sky agreed, opening her tablet and tapping through it. She had enough credits for today to cover meals and snacks. She purchased a chicken sandwich and grabbed a free ice water while she was at it. Life was good, sitting here with a potential new friend and peacefully talking while they ate. 

"Oh, by the way. Welcome to the crew, Jack. I'm so glad you're part of the team." 


	2. The Dangers of Electrical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unthinkable happens as the crew's MVP is terribly injured...  
> Something suspicious is going on...

**\----- 1 Month Later -----**

Sky paced around the ship several times. Where was Blackjack ? She had seen him earlier, in comms with Vritra. She had overheard their friendly squabbling over the best technique for fixing the finicky dial as she had briefly entered to divert power. 

Now she couldn't find Blackjack _anywhere._ She headed up towards Navigation, stopping to turn the shields back on. In the few weeks on the ship, the crew had realized that it had many issues. If they had any hope of getting to MiraHQ, they needed to keep it running as smoothly as possible. Sky needed Blackjack ’s help. 

There was something wrong with the card swipe again. It was continuously displaying errors every time a card was swiped. 

It wasn’t the normal errors either, ‘bad read’, ‘too fast’ or ‘too slow’. This time it was being absolutely impossible to the point where it refused to read the ID cards at all. 

Sky knew Blackjack could fix it. He had proven his prowess at fixing technology over and over, helping recode screen displays, program Shields to have a clearer visual aspect and had even given Reactor a better alarm system. 

Blackjack had quickly cemented himself as a capable, intelligent and essential part of the crew. Sky ran through Weapons, stopping to tap Figment’s shoulder. 

“Hey have you seen Blackjack ?” She asked. He looked up from shooting asteroids, the holographic diagram shutting off as he finished. 

“Yes, actually. He said he needed to work on the calibrator in Electrical.” Figment responded. His fluffy mohawk ridge poofed as he stood up. 

“Oh good, I was afraid he was caught up doing inventory of supplies again. Dalton keeps shirking that responsibility onto others.” Sky sighed as she moved out of Figment’s way. 

Figment huffed. 

“The more I am around that raptor the more I realize he’s not a team player. I mean, have you ever _seen_ someone task so slowly? The ship has more issues than I have claws to count with. It’s not going to fix itself.” He growled softly. One of his red, tan-clawed hands appeared and he swept his red and darker-striped mohawk back from his face before letting it fall again.

“Would you like me to come with you to Electrical? My task list is complete.” He showed her his mini tablet and she briefly looked over his checklist. 

As he said, it was complete. Despite Figment’s tendency to zone out and often hallucinate, he was quite efficient with his tasks and easy to talk to if you got him to focus.

“Yes please, I can’t finish mine until the card reader in Admin works again.” She agreed, heading into the Cafe. Figment followed, his long blue and darker-striped tail swishing behind him as he moved. 

Their raptor feet tapped on the floor of the Cafe with soft clicks as they passed by the tables. Sky looked towards the window, glancing at the glittering stars outside, far in the distance. She was intrigued yet frightened about the endless night outside the protection of the Skeld. Looking away, she walked down the hall, Figment now ahead of her. 

Together they made their way through Storage and into the hall that led to Electrical. 

The second Figment passed through the door, he screamed. “OH _GOD_!” 

Sky backed up, her heart racing. 

“WHAT? What is it?!” She cried in alarm, feeling panic rise and sweat beading. Was he having a hallucination attack? Was he okay? She tried to think of what could have scared him into screaming so loud. 

“Blackjack was stabbed.” Figment whimpered. 

Sky felt her blood run cold. _Stabbed._ The word felt like a knife had been taken to her too. She desperately pushed past Figment’s skinny but tall frame, feeling tears beading. 

_Not Blackjack , please not Blackjack , who would DO such a thing?_ Her thoughts screamed. 

Blackjack was crumpled on the floor on his stomach, eyes closed. A knife was still in his back and blood was absolutely everywhere. The blood smell was strong and fresh, the attack having clearly just happened. Blackjack ’s clawed and gloved hands were gripping the carpeted floor and blood soaked the area around him. Figment took a deep breath.

“Where is Baten?” He asked and didn’t wait for a response. 

“You’re faster, get him as quickly as you can.” He said and went to Blackjack ’s side. “GO!” He yelled when she hesitated. 

“Figgy, what if the perpetrator comes back and hurts you or or worse too?” Sky demanded. 

“Get Baten! If we don’t get our medic in here _right now_ , Blackjack dies for sure!” Figment argued. Sky took off running. 

“BATEN!” She screamed, running for Medbay. Baten should be there. He usually was, given he was the only medically trained member of the crew. 

Sky ran faster than she had ever thought was possible, even with her mostly raptor genetics. She skidded so fast into Medbay that it took a very conscious effort to stop. 

“BATEN. B-Blackjack has...been...stabbed! It’s bad, it’s bad, blood everywhere. He. He’s. Not. Moving.” She struggled to speak between gasping breaths. For all she knew, the crew’s world was going to come crashing down. Blackjack ’s life could be forever changed if he was even okay at all. 

“Where is he?” Baten asked. His voice was serious, with the calmness of a professional in the medical field. “Help me with this.” He unlatched a stretcher from the wall. Dalton appeared from seemingly nowhere, joining in. Sky briefly noticed he smelled clean, as if he’d come straight from the shower in his room. _How did he know there was an emergency?_

“Dalton, grab the emergency kit, Sky and I have the stretcher under control.” Baten said. 

Sky nodded in agreement. Together they lifted the stretcher and raced out into the hall. To avoid the smaller space of the larger hall, they took the route through the Cafeteria. Heading quickly down through the miniature hall, and Storage, Sky spoke.

“Figment is clear, he was with me in Weapons. If it was him who hurt Blackjack , he’d have been full of blood and tracked it all the way to Weapons.” She explained as quickly as possible.

Baten sighed. “Did you see anyone else?” He asked, visor unreadable. 

Dalton pressed behind them, staying silent. The scent of cleansing decontamination mist was strong on him and Sky sneezed. 

“Sky?” Baten pressed.

Sky thought back to when she had been looking for Blackjack earlier. 

She had seen Pink (Dalton) in Security. But he had been doing wires and didn’t look up as she’d passed him. 

"No." She sighed. 

If only he had been watching the cameras, they would have a potential lead right now. The team made their way into Electrical. Blackjack hadn’t moved at all. Figment was applying pressure around the area where the knife was sticking out by its handle.

Baten made a sound that he quickly covered with instructions, directing Figment out of the way so he and Sky could fit the stretcher inside. Vritra and Blue, or Mercury as she had stated her Earth name was, appeared in the doorway.

“Oh my GOD.” They exclaimed in unified shock. 

“Vritra, Mercury, help us lift Blackjack onto the stretcher.” Baten stated with practiced calm. It was easy to tell this was something he’d never faced but was doing his best to keep outwardly calm for the people under his care. He had given everyone sterile gloves and rapidly instructed Figment to go and wash thoroughly immediately. Blood needed to be treated as a biohazard, just as their extensive schooling had taught the crew. 

Blackjack made the first sound they’d heard from him since the discovery of his terribly injured body. A weak groan as he was moved, followed by a rasp, then nothing. 

If it weren’t for his faint breathing it would be impossible to tell he was alive. 

Sky felt like her heart was racing 100 miles an hour. If only she’d been there, maybe they could have caught the culprit together without a severe injury.

She felt tremendous guilt at having left Blackjack alone, but knew she couldn’t change that now. So she gripped the stretcher end and did her part in transporting Blackjack to Medbay for emergency attention, feeling tears run down her face. He _had_ to be okay. He just _had_ to. 

She kept praying for his safety as they left the deep, bloodstained darkness of Electrical behind.

**\-----Later that night-----**

Sky paced back and forth outside of Medbay, waiting for word from Baten and Dalton. 

Dalton was technically ‘retired’ in the medical field, a fundamental way to test Baten’s abilities to handle a crisis. 

Essentially, he was still certified and had all his knowledge intact, but was supposed to only step in if Baten absolutely needed assistance. 

After Baten had proven himself capable through a real crisis, they could then work together again as two full medical professionals. 

Sky didn’t understand it, but Dalton had insisted upon it and no one had bothered to argue with him. Not even Baten, who often made it very clear that he didn’t like Dalton’s behavior and approach to things, even if Dalton was his father. 

“Want to see a card trick?” Vritra asked from the floor. He had opted to stay awake with Sky despite the late hour. It was long into the night, nearly two AM. 

“No, sorry.” Sky replied. She felt too tense for that right now. “But I greatly appreciate you sticking with me tonight. I’d be even more of a wreck if I was alone out here.” She quickly added.

“I know.” Vritra said, shuffling his playing cards quietly. “It’s horrible when it’s your best friend hurt and you can’t do anything but hope and prayer for them.” He sighed.

Sky nodded and continued to pace in the area outside the Medbay door. It was currently closed, with only a faint sliver of light visible underneath. 

“Why Blackjack is what I don’t understand. Of all people to attack, why him? He hasn’t done anything harmful to anyone here. And I can’t say the same about everyone on this ship.” Vritra hissed in a whispery voice, nervous. 

“I don’t get it either. He might look a little intimidating and sometimes be a bit grumpy, but he’s sweet, and without him, nothing would work right on this ship.” Sky responded. 

“Yes! Exactly.” Vritra agreed, shuffling the cards faster. He was coping with his own anxiety by focusing on the cards instead of his fears. 

"I can't imagine anyone who would have a serious problem with him. I genuinely can't imagine who'd want to-" she stopped and looked over as the Medbay doors slid open. Faint light came from inside and Sky could barely see where Blackjack was resting in a hospital bed, attached to a drip and EKG. She breathed a sigh of relief. "How is he?" She asked. 

Baten looked at her. "He's stable but the injury was bad. He's been burning up with fever for hours. Which makes me desperately hope the knife wasn't poisoned somehow. He's showing signs of some kind of rapid onset infection. All we can do now is let him rest, keep his wounds clean and give him antibiotics. There's no more I can do for him." He explained in a grave voice. 

Sky looked towards the room where Blackjack slept, unmoving. His clawed hands were gripping the bedding and his exposed arm showed he was clothed in pajamas. "You can make it through this Blackjack . I know it." Sky whispered, giving a nod to Baten, a quiet thanks and signalling to Vritra that they should go to bed now. 

Dalton watched Blackjack in chilly silence, unblinking in the darkness of the Medbay. 


	3. Something Strange About Blackjack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blackjack is recovering well from his injury, but he is also changing...

**\-----1 week later-----**

Sky looked over at Blackjack . He had been different after he was viciously attacked in electrical. She assumed it was him recovering from such a brutal injury -he was genuinely lucky to be alive- but she didn't know getting so injured could physically change someone. 

When she had found him, he had been stabbed several times and the knife was still in his back. She had scented others around, but given how busy the room could be, that wasn't a clear indication of a guilty party. However, she couldn't deny that through the clouds of crew scents she had distinguished one that was more fresh: Pink, or  _ Dalton _ as he was actually named. But she had cast that aside in the haste to save Blackjack 's life. 

Sky was so scared for a while that Blackjack wasn't going to make it, given the blood loss, but he had pulled through against all odds. So now Sky sat beside him and quite honestly marvelled at his shocking recovery and physical changes. Blackjack was out of bandages and pajamas now and back in his space suit, peacefully sitting in the Weapons room chair and shooting asteroids. 

Sky watched his movements. They were so strong and sure for someone who had been so close to death only a week before. 

"It's like a game to you, isn't it?" She teased him. He didn't answer with more than a nod. He must've been tired, Sky assumed.

"You want to get some lunch?" Blackjack suggested suddenly.

"Yeah of course." Sky responded quickly. They left Weapons for the cafeteria, sitting down with sandwiches and dehydrated ice cream in foil packaging. 

"Blackjack ." Sky said as they ate, and she observed him curiously.

"Yeah?" He asked. Sky tilted her head.

"I've noticed you're recovering so well, I'm so happy. I was so worried. But, is it at all strange to you how strong you're getting after such a horrible incident?" She asked gently. 

Sky didn't want to upset or offend him, but she was genuinely curious. She remembered a day earlier he had clawed the table -playfully- but the grooves he'd made had been quite deep. And strength wasn't Sky's only observation. Blackjack had been growing. 

It was weird to see, like a sped up video of a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly. Blackjack had been between the last few inches in the upper 3' range and 4' when she'd met him. Now he was decidedly 4' for sure and he took up more space, just enough to be noticeable.

"What do you mean?" Blackjack asked. He looked...she wanted to say nervous or worried. He kept eating and she pushed a half sandwich towards him. 

"I mean you're bigger and stronger and it's great but unusual. I've never heard of an injury provoking such a drastic change. But perhaps it's just coincidence. Your growth plates haven't fused yet, you're young, and maybe I'm really overthinking this." Sky replied. She felt sweat bead, suddenly nervous. She really didn't want to come off as offensive.

"Oh. No, I think you're just observing and worrying. It's what you do. Because you're kind." Blackjack smiled and sipped at his drink. "I feel fantastic, just really, really damn hungry." He promised, readily accepting the offered sandwich half and taking a bite. Sky laughed lightheartedly.

"Then please eat, you need the fuel. If you keep growing you're going to need a larger suit, though." She added. "Maybe a different color." 

Blackjack snorted.

"A different color? No I think not, I am a Certified Edgelord ™ and I will wear black until the end of the universe." 

Sky laughed more. "Blackjack , eat please, I already heard Vritra say you could chatterbox him back to Earth, twice this morning." She said.

Blackjack raised an eyebrow and looked around until he spotted the familiar purple suit of the equally purple dragon. 

"Well VRITRA can go fix comms all by himself if that's what he thinks!" Blackjack said in a raised voice in Vritra's direction.

"Blackjack  _ no, shhhhhhhhh!"  _ Sky hissed, unable to stop further laughter.

Blackjack may have often called himself an Edgelord, but once you got past his exterior, you'd find he was humorous and genuinely kind upon being given the chance to be.

"What is going on?" Baten asked, leaning over the table. Sky jumped. 

"Baten  _ must  _ you do that  _ every time?"  _ She asked, shaking her head. 

She pointed at Blackjack .  "He's being loud." 

Baten chuckled. "Blackjack being loud, what a strange statement." He teased with his hands appearing and going to his chest in false surprise. 

"Mm am nnnnot mmloud." Blackjack mumbled around the cup of soda he was drinking. 

"Blackjack the only person louder on the ship is Figment, but he definitely doesn't talk as much." Baten rumbled. He looked to Blackjack , more serious now. 

"How are you feeling?" he asked in his professional voice. 

Blackjack shrugged. "I was telling Sky, I feel great. I'm just really hungry lately." he explained. He smiled happily. He seemed to be getting back to his humorous and energetic self. 

"Then please, eat your fill. It's so wonderful to hear you have a good appetite. Oh, I need a scan from you later please. Sky if you could accompany him that would be great." Baten said, nodding at Sky.

"Yeah absolutely." Sky replied, dipping her head respectfully. 

"I get my own bodyguard, hell yeah I'm special." Blackjack said playfully. 

He was not to be alone at any point when not in his room. Baten had decided that if someone was bold enough to hurt him once, they'd no doubt try again if Blackjack was caught alone. Sky rolled her eyes behind the visor. "I'm a terrible bodyguard but if that humors you then yes, I'll protect you." She agreed. Blackjack gave two thumbs up and finished off his food. 

“If you wanna go right now we can.” Sky suggested. 

“Sure, why not.” Blackjack agreed, standing up and throwing his tray in the trash.

Sky looked up at him. “Ready?” 

“Yeah!” Blackjack said. She smiled even though he couldn’t see it with her suit on. It was so great to see him well again. She’d brought him a sketchbook and sat in a chair, filling him in on what was going on out in the ship. 

Blackjack had been grateful, but extremely bored. He had run around the Skeld upon release from Medbay, until Baten had caught him in the Cafe and told him to calm down or he’d be back on bedrest. Sky and Blackjack entered Medbay, heading for the scanning area. 

“Read off what it says and I’ll put it into the tablet.” Sky said as Blackjack stepped up onto the scanner. “Aight.” Blackjack agreed and turned on the scanner. Sky watched as the scanning rings started, going up and down in a slow fashion. 

After a moment, Blackjack made a face, his eyebrows creasing. 

“Hey Sky.” Blackjack said. 

“Is something wrong?” Sky asked.

“Have you ever had it say ‘blood type error’?” He asked with anxiety in his voice. 

Sky shook her head. “It's probably the scanner messing up. You have no idea how grateful we all are that our tech repair demon is back on his feet.” She sighed. 

“What do I do?” Blackjack asked, looking at the hologram that was glitched out in front of him. “Oh, turn it off, restart a scan. I’m sure it’s just a technological failure.” She replied with a wave of a hand. Blackjack restarted the system, shrugging. “I’ll look at it later.” He sighed. 

After a second scan that went smoothly, they returned to tasking together. 

At some point in the day, Blackjack disappeared. One second he was beside Sky, and the second he had vanished. She immediately looked around in a panic, heart rate picking up. Not again, what if he had been hurt again or worse- and  _ how  _ and  _ where  _ had he gone so fast? 

Sky looked around Electrical, trying to think of where he had gone. 

“Sky, psst.” Blackjack ’s voice came from...the vent? 

“Blackjack , what are you doing?” She asked in confusion, lifting the lid. 

“It’s so comfy. I feel safe.” Blackjack said. He sounded...different. Raspier. 

Sky looked down at him, nervous. She had a sense that something was up with him, but not sure yet what it was. “I’m so happy you feel safe.” She said kindly, nervously reaching to pat his hair. 

“Can I stay right here, can I? Can I stay where it’s safe?” Blackjack asked. 

There was something about the way he said it that made her feel saddened and worried for him. The stabbing attack really had changed him a lot, it seemed. She tried not to let her voice shake as she replied. “Of course, please stay where it’s safe.” 

Blackjack grinned. “Thank you I’ll be right here.” He said, sounding so happy. 

Sky shut the lid slowly and returned to fixing wires, wondering what was happening to her friend. 


	4. Imposter's Demise

Sky walked into Medbay. She had samples to get done. She went over to the sampling area, pouring reagent carefully into each sample test tube. She was impatiently waiting for the timer to countdown to be over. She lifted a test tube when the doors closed without warning. A second later, the lights went out.  _ I'm about to die! _ The thought immediately went through Sky's brain. She ran for the door, dropping the test tube with a shattering sound and liquid splattering. "OPEN THE DOOR!!! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" Sky screamed as she pounded on the door. All she could picture was Blackjack lying on the Electrical floor covered in blood. Was she about to share that same fate? Would she be so lucky to survive it? She screamed and clawed at the door, trying anything to get it open. 

The sound of metal shifting made her blood run cold as ice. She couldn't see, but she heard the vent unlatch and pop open. "No Oh god oh no!!!" She cried, still trying to get the door to open. 

"He should have died. And so should you." A familiar voice hissed. 

"Dalton." Sky stated, turning to look. She could barely see, most of the room cloaked in shadow. But she could smell blood and anger and hear him coming towards her. She reached out, felt his suit and jerked away, just to see him loom over her. 

"Please! I don't know why you're doing this! PLEASE!" She screamed, trying to get away from him in the dark, stumbling further into Medbay. 

She didn't get far before he caught up with her, and before she could blindly try to get away again, he lunged and bit her in the neck. Sky  _ screamed _ in pain and fear, paralyzed in such absolute terror that she couldn't even struggle. Tears poured down her face as he bit deeper, teeth tearing her suit, puncturing her neck. Hot blood welled out around the bite. Sky was about to go limp just to get it over with when the doors opened and the lights returned. Dalton retreated so fast Sky fell. "Skylasha tried to kill me." He said in a quavering voice as Sky looked over to see Baten and Blackjack enter. Blackjack backed up, glancing towards Cafe. "Call an emergency meeting, now." Baten growled, looking between Sky and Dalton with a searching gaze. Blackjack ran for the button, setting off the alarm to call everyone to the table for a discussion. 

"Let's settle this, shall we?" Dalton hissed at Sky. Blood glittered on his teeth. 

\-----Blackjack 's POV-----

"Skylasha tried to kill me!" Dalton yelled. 

Sky stared at him as tears ran down her face, shaking her head over and over. Her neck was wounded, a bloodied series of ripped holes in her suit from uneven teeth. Sweat beaded on her, getting through the suit. Blackjack narrowed his eyes. What kind of fool did Dalton take him for? He couldn't help the low growl starting in his chest. 

"No. I did not." Sky stated, voice quavering. 

Blackjack wanted to get up and move closer to comfort her, but she didn't look like she wanted anyone nearer to her. Her anxiety was clearly already extremely high. 

"I didn't see shit. But Dalton seems a little sus, don't you think? I don't see any wounds on him." Blackjack said coldly. He was frustrated he couldn't say much as he  _ hadn't seen anything, not with the blasted Medbay doors shut until the last second,  _ but he could tell Dalton was lying through context clues and by the ' _ this is wrong'  _ chills bolting down his back. 

Dalton whipped to stare at him. 

"Shut up you loud mouthed prick." He snarled before turning away.

Blackjack flattened his ears.  _ Excuse moi?  _ He thought. 

"You saw, didn't you Baten?" Dalton asked, staring at his son. Baten looked at him before responding. 

"I didn't see  _ anything _ considering the lights were  _ off.  _ So how did  _ you _ see me like 20 ft away from you?" Baten snapped with thinly veiled salt. 

Dalton hit the table, making Figment and Vritra jump and step back. 

"You saw her! Why are you lying?!" He demanded. His facial suit piece was starting to split. Blackjack rumbled a little louder. The aggression around him was ramping him up. And had Dalton really just yelled at  _ him? _ When he was just stating facts? His vision turned a bit pinkish before deepening to shades of red. 

"No I didn't! I think I saw  _ you  _ bite her in the neck like some rabid animal, actually!" Baten yelled back, leaning to get in Dalton's face. They both growled in fury, Dalton giving a drawn out hiss. 

"What did you call me?" He demanded.

"A rabid animal. Because that's all you act like. An animal. And I've had enough!" Baten retorted, shoving him. Dalton made a horrific noise, a hissing scream and his face suit ripped apart. His jaws opened wider than they should, revealing rows of long, uneven red teeth and a tongue that was blood stained and ended in a stinger. He launched himself over the table at his son, who started to scream and struggle to get away. Blackjack didn't even think. He got up and barrelled into Dalton, throwing him aside. Blackjack hissed at him, a third eye appearing upon his forehead as his eyes began to glow with chilly ice blue light. Sky scrambled out of the way and Blackjack made a mental note of her safety. 

**"Game on, raptor bitch!"** Blackjack challenged Dalton. He crouched on the table, muscles tensing. Dalton made that horrific scream hiss again and launched himself at Blackjack 's face, claws aiming for slashing him open. Blackjack defended himself by getting his arm in the way to take the brunt of the attack. Everyone in the cafe was  _ screaming  _ now. Fear and anger boiling over.

"So Dalton hurt her? I KNEW IT!" 

"LYING SNAKE BITCH!" 

"I knew something was wrong with you." Baten groaned, pointing at Dalton as he stood again, unharmed.  _ I got hurt instead of him. Good.  _ Blackjack thought to himself. Dalton tried to go for Baten again but Blackjack body slammed him, horns piercing into him as he crashed into the monster raptor. Dalton cried out in pain, but if anything he attacked harder, biting and ripping at Blackjack with no intention of stopping. The raptor wasn't even speaking anymore, lost to rage and feral insanity. 

"Get the airlock open! Mercury, Figment HELP ME!" Baten yelled. The lights cut out, and every crewmate except Sky screamed more. Sky was looking around for an exit from this hellish scene. 

Blackjack realized he could see in the dark just fine, unbothered by the lights switching off. He only knew they were off due to Figment's cry of 

"It's so dark in here!"

Blackjack shoved Dalton's jaws away with a sharp hit to the nose, snapping bone and cartilage as blood came from Dalton's nostrils. Dalton was panting hot, carrion smelling breath all over him. It smelled absolutely horrible and made Blackjack even angrier. He kicked his paws into Dalton's gut and scrambled out from beneath him. Dalton roared and tried to jump for him again, bleeding now. Blackjack stopped him with his fist connecting with Dalton's jaw again. Dalton hissed and snapped his jaws shut on Blackjack 's hand. He pulled, shredding Blackjack 's fingers, blood welling through Blackjack 's gloves. Blackjack tried not to scream, knowing it would ramp up the predator instincts further. Blackjack got his hand free, blood soaking through the material of the glove. He tucked his injured hand close. He backed off before jumping with all his strength and crashing into the airlock with Dalton beneath him. His fighting tactic switched and he bit into Dalton's neck with teeth that had grown in number and sharpness over the days. He aimed to tear, ripping through Dalton's suit. His good hand dug into Dalton's ribs through the suit, stabbing deep with his claws. 

"Get it open get it open NOW!" He faintly heard Baten's scream before there was a sliding sound, a rush of freezing air and then freefall. 

_ "Blackjack NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"  _ Sky's scream cut through the red haze that had its hold on Blackjack . 

"Get back. We can't help him anymore. And we're not losing 3 crew members today. " Baten said to her, any further words lost as the airlock slammed shut. 

They hadn't fallen far, given the lack of gravity. Blackjack kept biting into Dalton, vision red. 

**You tried to kill my best friend you miserable conniving bastard** he snarled without speaking, projecting the words. 

Dalton dug his claws into Blackjack , kicking him as he still tried to fight back. His movements were sloppier and slower. 

"Yeah and if only she hadn't found you after I'd stabbed you." Dalton replied coldly.

"I'd have ripped the whole crew apart one by one through paranoia and then my claws. Eaten my fill and safely escaped." He said without remorse. 

Blackjack bit harder, pressing against him. He knew. He  _ had _ to kill him. Dalton was beyond saving. But it still hurt him inside like a million stabs more to have to end a former crewmate's life. Even a contemptible jerk like Dalton. Even if Dalton had tried to kill him with a knife. 

"Good thing you're like me now." Dalton chuckled, still speaking with a ripped throat. 

"You can finish it." 

**I will** **_not!_ ** **And you will never hurt anyone ever again!** Blackjack roared. He retracted his biting grip. His vision turned so red that the edges darkened to shadows. His claws clenched. Moving quickly, with purpose, he grabbed Dalton's head and snapped it to the side. 

There was a crack of bone as his neck broke and his movements finally ceased, falling limp. Blackjack panted from stress, tears flowing down his face to join the blood on his teeth. He tasted blood and salt and his throat ached before he broke into sobbing. 

He had  _ killed.  _ The weight of that realization was hitting him like an asteroid had crashed into him. Hard, fast and painful. He spat until the blood taste had lessened, consciously reminding himself not to lick his teeth in case he'd taste it again. 

Shoving Dalton's corpse away, Blackjack looked around. It was so cold out here. And so silent. He saw the Skeld moving away in the distance. He made a whimpering sound and closed his eyes.

"I can't go back. Not yet." He decided although he desperately wanted to. 

But he decided quickly that there was something he had to do first: heal and grow stronger. Looking towards Dalton's corpse, he hissed and flattened his ears. 

If there were more things like Dalton, angry, hungry and dangerous- Blackjack would get strong enough to stop them. He had to. The crew needed protection. He looked around at the vastness of space before through some unknown force, propelling himself towards the scattered remains of an abandoned spaceship.

As soon as he'd gotten inside, Blackjack went searching for anything to warm up with. Outside it was so cold that he shivered profusely. He was grateful, however that the chill of the endless night had helped his wounds stop bleeding. His right hand, tucked to his chest and soaked in blood, ached from the pull of Dalton's teeth. He grunted in pain and paced around. To his shock, Blackjack discovered the lighting still worked. It took a moment to brighten, but he was grateful for it. 

He saw normally in the dark, but didn't fancy lurking around in the shadows if he didn't have to. He paced around, listening intently and searching for somewhere he could wash. He had to get the blood off and the wounds clean. Blackjack entered a room and smiled faintly upon realizing there was a decontamination shower. He stepped closer, flipping the switch to open the door and stepping inside. An instant later, hot spray poured over him, decontamination mist. He pulled off his right glove and let the blood run off his wounded hand as it was cleansed. He felt so much better immediately, warm and clean.

Blackjack went to replace his glove upon his hand, stopping to briefly look at the wounds. They were already showing signs of healing. He was recovering from a bad injury at warp speed again. His thoughts went back to his rapid recovery after the stabbing. Baten had been shocked that he didn't even scar. Within a week it had been as if nothing had happened. 

Blackjack knew what was happening to himself but it was terrifying to admit. He had been changing since the stabbing and he knew why. His biology was rapidly changing to alien biology. A chill ran through him despite the heat. 

_ What if I go insane like Dalton did?  _ He wondered.  _ What about my friends? What about Sky?  _ He felt anxiety surfacing. Could he even go back to the Skeld like this? But of course he had to. He couldn't stay out here all alone, and his crew needed their technician. 

Blackjack slid down onto the floor and let the heated decontamination shower spray soak warmth deep into his bones. 

Now that he was warm, and as comfortable as he could be, he realized for the first time how sore he was. And how tight his suit had been becoming over the days. He felt a few seams threaten to rip as he moved. He'd need a new suit soon. He briefly made a mental note to look for one later. And new boots. These ones were pinching his paws. 

Baten had had some theories about the injury triggering some kind of late growth spurt, but Blackjack had known there was more to it. What kind of growth spurt made your teeth sharper and more abundant? Or made your vision so strong you could see in the dark as clearly as if it was day time? 

The only reason he had noticed a change in vision was one morning while recovering in Medbay. He had been sketching a caricature to annoy Baten with, when the dragon had come walking in with a cry of 

"Blackjack ! What are you doing straining your eyes to draw in the dark? Turn these lights on." In an exasperated and tired tone. 

Blackjack had been confused by the remarks as he watched the dragon switch the lights on. Blackjack had suddenly realized there was no visual difference to him. It had taken all of his self control to not blurt  _ 'But I can see just fine!' _

Ever since, Blackjack had noticed more changes about himself. His claws had sharpened and hardened, becoming more formidable. His hearing had strengthened, making him nearly impossible to sneak up on. Something he was grateful for, after the attack he'd survived. And one of the more noticeable changes of course, he was bigger. 

He had noticed his strength had increased, and soon after that he was growing in size as well. He quite honestly had marvelled over his transformation's progress, fascinated that he seemed to be changing in ways that he'd be safe from another attack. But then he'd realized that he didn't want to frighten his friends, and the changes had lost their intrigue. 

Blackjack sat in the heat of the decontamination spray and mulled this over, wondering what next to do with himself. He desperately wanted to get back to the Skeld. 

"Soon. I'll go back soon. And this time I'll keep everyone safe." He promised to himself, alone and more afraid than he wanted to admit. Blackjack tucked his knees up to his chest and broke into sobbing for the second time that night. 


	5. Demon in Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blackjack's resourcefulness comes in handy as he has to brave space alone for the time being.   
> BODY HORROR WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER

Blackjack woke up several hours later. The decontamination shower had shut off at some point. The space was cold now, and Blackjack shuddered. It took him only a moment of sitting in the dimly lit space to remember that he was all alone. 

Memories came flooding back. He remembered the sounds of alarms, people screaming, and Dalton. The raptor had transformed into a terrifying and hungry beast. 

Blackjack had nearly been murdered by him, but the raptor monster had failed. 

Unfortunately, Dalton had poisoned the blade with his venom, and that had been the catalyst to Blackjack beginning to change. 

Baten had worried heavily over Blackjack’s life as the technician demon fought an infection and a high fever. Once Blackjack’s fever had broken, he had begun miraculous and rapid healing. The infection vanished without a trace, his stab wounds healed without a scar, and his physical health improved to better than it had ever been. Baten, and everyone else had assumed Blackjack had just gotten extremely lucky, at first, but Blackjack had begun to figure it out. He unfolded himself from the position he had been sleeping in, groaning. He felt exhausted, cold, in pain, and absolutely starving. Shaking sleep from his mind, Blackjack slowly got up. His body ached, and he figured that the chill of the room was contributing to it. 

He was desperate for a meal, raging and unexpected sudden hunger taking over his physical sensations and his mind. 

Blackjack’s hands shook as he switched open the decontamination shower door. 

The demon groaned. His stomach growled as he began to fantasize about thick sandwiches stacked with cheeses and meats, hot soups with hearty vegetables and delicious salty broth. 'Mile high' chocolate cake, rich and spongy and fudge centered, so good you'd nearly cry. Peanut butter and bananas on toast, an entire bag of salted almonds, chocolate covered raisins. 

Blackjack made an incoherent whine of complaint. He walked out of the decontamination shower and started searching around for anything that was edible. 

There  _ had _ to be a food storage unit somewhere in here. All ships had them. 

Blackjack walked towards the area that most resembled the Skeld's storage. 

Hunger welled in his gut, his mind thinking about food and food only. He felt like he hadn't eaten in weeks. He assumed it was a combination of his transformation as well as the energy required to keep him warm in the freezing vacuum of space. 

Blackjack’s sharp teeth ached with need to tear into something tasty. He looked around, 3rd eye helping his range of vision. The demon turned alien came across a storage box. He lifted the lid off and dug through the items. He tossed aside anything that wasn’t food, not caring about it. When he had removed all of the non-edible items, he gave a sound of happiness as he discovered snack packs. Dehydrated fruit, mixed with nuts and pretzels. The hungry demon ripped open every package and ate them in a few minutes. Still famished, he searched through more storage boxes, ripping ice cream sandwiches from their foil containment and slipping them between his teeth. He ate his fill of ice cream and moved on to check out preserved sausage and cheeses and packs of bread. He discovered packages of chocolate raisins, and tea packets that he mixed into water. It took seemingly forever to get himself sated, but afterwards, he felt a ton more like himself. He sat on the floor and peacefully nibbled at the chocolate raisins while sipping at his cold tea. He wished that it was hot tea, but he had nothing to heat it up with. 

There was a strange sensation at his abdomen suddenly, behind his toolbelt. Blackjack froze as the belt seemed to move on its own and there was a not-unpleasant but not exactly comfortable tearing feeling. He unhooked his toolbelt and gave a gasp of alarm as a wide gash opened up in his body in the area where the belt had been. “Holy SHIT!” Blackjack screamed and recoiled, as if that would help. He got up, as if to scramble away from himself. 

“OH MY GOD!” Blackjack screeched loud enough that if anyone had heard him, they would be immediately alarmed. He clenched his hands and stumbled back into the wall, making strangled whimpering sounds of fear. “Oh my god. How am I not dead? How did I not notice?!” He stuttered out, fear and confusion warring in his mind. 

Why didn’t it  _ hurt _ more?! Why wasn’t he bleeding out?? 

Blackjack began to panic, crying and breathing fast on reflex, before he realized that nothing terrible was occurring, so the panic was unnecessary.

Blackjack forced himself to take a few deep breaths, then to take a look again. 

There was a large opening across his abdomen, stretching from one side to the other. Blackjack gave a whimper of fear and confusion as he pulled at his suit to investigate. There was a sudden sensation of several aching, itching points, and pressure. Blackjack released his grip on his suit and whimpered again. He had no idea what was happening, but he surely didn’t like it. 

Did he somehow get more injured than he had previously thought?

The demon tucked his knees up to his chest and shook, frightened by whatever change was happening to him now. He was all alone out here, nobody could help him even if he wanted them to. Blackjack groaned and reached with a shaking hand to grab his plastic container of chocolate raisins. He needed his favorite snack to help him calm down. It’s all he could do to keep himself from dissolving further into crying and shaking and worrying. 

He thought of Dalton, dead now. Was he on his way to becoming a monstrous freak like the deceased raptor had? He had no idea. It wasn’t as if he could ask him about it. 

Blackjack ate his chocolate covered raisins, grumbling to himself about how cold it was and how much he wanted to be in bed on the Skeld right now with hot chocolate and his sketchbook. Hunger came back again, and the gash in his abdomen opened wider. Blackjack swallowed, nearly choking on his food as he realized that it wasn’t just a gash. 

Sharp, large, rowed teeth burst from inside the gash that he was now realizing was a mouth. He didn’t have the energy for another outburst of panic, so he pressed himself back against the wall and looked down at himself. There was a secondary mouth on his abdomen. Oh my god. He really was an alien creature now! A mix of horror and a strange relief washed over Blackjack. A thick length of magenta tongue unfurled from the new mouth. 

Somehow, in some part of his awareness, Blackjack knew that he was done changing. More relief came to him with this awareness, and he let himself breathe easier. He sighed and offered the mouth an ice cream sandwich without really thinking about it. 

It didn’t take long to figure out how to eat with it. He was afraid of biting himself with those frightening monster teeth, so was careful to keep his hands back as he learned. 

When he was done and finally didn’t feel hungry anymore for the moment, Blackjack got up and retrieved his toolbelt that he had tossed aside. He slid it back on, ignoring the urge to chew at it with the secondary mouth. Cold, bored, and incredibly lonely, Blackjack went back to the decontamination unit to run more hot spray. The cleansing steam would run for a short while at a time, and he kept himself warm by doing this. 

Blackjack did this for days, keeping the hot cleansing spray running through employing his technician skills. When he wasn’t warming himself up, he investigated the food supply. He would sit and inventory everything that he had, categorizing the items by importance in small seperate boxes. He would eat as much as he could afford to without exhausting his supplies too quickly, especially careful with how much liquids he had left. Space was a desert. There was no water to be had if you ran out of your supply. Blackjack had left his tablet behind on the Skeld, rendering him unable to use his credits or order new supplies. 

After a few more days, having spent a week alone, Blackjack decided that it was time to make his way back to the Skeld. His injuries had healed, and he had been exercising every day in order to improve his physical condition. Best of all, Blackjack had discovered that if he concentrated and focused, he could appear as he once did. 

Blackjack had spent hours in front of a mirror he’d found. He’d propped it up and looked at himself for a long time, memorizing what had changed, and storing that information away in his brain. He then focused on how he had used to look, smaller and lacking his new alien features. He didn’t know if he could ‘mask’ his new strength, but he could try. Most importantly was making himself able to shapeshift back to his old self. 

Until he found a way to tell his fellow crewmates what had happened in a way they would understand, he had to hide what had occurred for his own protection. 

He doubted any of them had seen much during the Cafeteria fight. The lights had suddenly gone out, and everyone had been so panicked that there was minimal chance he had been fully seen as the alien demon thing he had become. 

As much as Blackjack hated acting deceptive, there was nothing else that he could do. 

If he went traipsing up to the Skeld and looked like a monster, they’d never let him back in. He did suppose he could always sneak back inside if he had to, but he’d think about that possibility later on. 

After Blackjack had perfected his shapeshifting, he gathered what he would need. He had found a coat that he could fit enough water-filled plastic bags, and food into the inner pockets of for a week’s time. He had had to sit down and calculate a course to get back to the Skeld. 

After he discovered a jetpack with a full tank of fuel, and figured out how to wear it properly, Blackjack felt more confident about the trip he’d have to make. 

Blackjack gathered his items and zipped up his coat, adjusting the jet pack. He was lucky he no longer required oxygen. One less thing to worry about in the chilly and airless vacuum of space. He stepped forwards, boots scraping on the floor as he made his way to the opening at the front of the abandoned spaceship. Soon he would be back onboard the Skeld, among his friends.


	6. A Crew Makes Do Without Their Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew goes on without Blackjack, but the lack of his presence has left a hole in its wake.

Sky laid her head down on the Cafeteria table and sighed. Her hand lazily gripped the foil of a cheese sandwich package.

“Please eat it.” Vritra implored. 

Sky sighed at him and shook her head. “How can I eat this, knowing that my best friend is likely dead?” She asked. Beneath the visor, her eyes welled with tears. 

Vritra thought for a moment before speaking. “Jack would have wanted you to eat that sandwich.” He said. 

Sky huffed at him. “Really, Vritra?” She growled faintly. 

She didn’t feel right about carrying on as if nothing had happened, even though the higher ups had informed Baten that that was exactly what the crew was supposed to do. 

Mira Officials had answered a comms call from Baten the day before. 

They had spoken curtly about the loss of Blackjack “Black” and had seemed more upset over the loss of Dalton “Pink”. Baten could be heard yelling for the better part of a half hour about what Dalton had done.

Even before he had turned into a bloodthirsty monster and attempted to murder “Cyan” Skylasha and “Black” Blackjack, Dalton had been exceedingly rude, lazy, and unhelpful to everyone else on the crew. Almost everyone had expressed frustration if not outright anger at the late crewmate’s poor behavior and lack of team player attitude. 

The Mira Officials had informed Baten that he was to keep the rest of the crew safe, and that new members would be joining after the Skeld crew reached Mira HQ. 

That could still be weeks away, and it filled Skylasha with dread and hurt. How could Blackjack be so quickly written off like that? 

According to Baten, the officials had called him a deserter, and had spoken in a borderline dishonoring way about the MIA technician. Blackjack had been one of the team’s MVPs, and now he was gone. The crew was lucky that they had been able to keep the Skeld working at all with his disappearance. Sky had half the mind to call the officials back and ream them out for their completely unhelpful take on this entire situation. She refrained, however, knowing that they had every power to get her thrown off of the crew and back to Earth, if not something worse, for ‘questioning authority’ and ‘causing conflict with an official’. 

Besides, Baten had already risked his own position by screaming at them for their open disrespect of MIA Blackjack. 

Skylasha and Baten had repeatedly refused to believe that Blackjack was dead. 

How could he, of all people, be dead? If anyone could survive space, it would be him, right? Blackjack was a fighter and his intelligence and spirit had kept the crew going their entire trip. The thought of never seeing his grinning face again was unthinkable. 

But as the days wore on, the Skeld kept travelling, and there were no signs of the demon technician, the crew found themselves guessing that the worst had happened to him after all. 

Blackjack was, after all, trapped out there without any way to keep warm, or adequate food and water. And most importantly, he had no way to get more oxygen. Once whatever had been in his tank ran out, it would be quickly over for the demon. 

Sky shoved her food into her mouth. There was no point in arguing, and she did suppose that Blackjack would have wanted her to stay healthy. She was starving, anyway. 

It had taken Sky weeks to heal from the bite she had received from Dalton. After a raging infection that made her scales itch and burn like she had bathed in poison ivy, her wounds had finally begun to heal. Baten had cleared Sky for returning to tasking just this week. He kept close eyes on her healing process and took her temperature at least three times a day to ensure that the fever didn’t make a resurgence. 

Sky finished her cheese sandwich and set her tablet on the table, opening it to see how many credits she had left for the day. 

She decided that she could afford to buy extra food and started to scroll through the food options in the ordering menu. 

Sky looked up at Vritra. “Would you like anything?” She asked. 

Vritra nodded. 

“What would you like?” She asked as she went through the options, investigating the sandwiches and the desserts. 

“For you to eat your fill, and to go to bed at a good hour. I know you were awake at 3 AM. Again.” Vritra replied. Skylasha blushed in embarrassment beneath her suit. 

“Fair enough. I’ll eat more, aight?” Skylasha asked. 

“And go to bed at a good hour.” Vritra urged. 

Skylasha raised her eyebrow crests at him and rubbed her forehead. “Okay. I’ll go to bed at a better hour than usual.” Sky agreed. 

Vritra got up from his seat. “Good. Have a good evening, Sky.” He said and picked up his pack of cards. He headed for his room, leaving Sky alone in the Cafeteria. 

She opted to get some chicken nuggets and a brownie, eating peacefully and sipping at some cold water. Her thoughts drifted to thinking about Blackjack. 

Had he really survived an attempted murder just to ultimately succomb out there in space? It made the raptor dragon almost cry every time she thought about it. Poor Blackjack had done so much good for the crew. He’d sacrificed himself to save them from Dalton.

“I wish he’d come back.” She said quietly to no one in particular. 

The crew needed Blackjack badly. Without him around to fix things, they were forced to do their best to work with constantly breaking technology and materials. 

Sky wished more than anything right now that she was sitting wrapped in a blanket and drawing with Blackjack at the Cafe table. It had become an escape from boredom on the Skeld. When tasks were done, there wasn’t much left to do but investigate food, or play boardgames. Items deemed unnecessary had been left behind on Earth, including video gaming devices and televisions. Although Sky had no idea what wifi would be like on a spaceship, anyway. 

She finished off her food and went to empty the trash. 

Her mind went back to one night she had been panicking and pacing around the Cafe. 

Blackjack had come out of the vent and joined her. She remembered he had went running down to storage with a shout of “I’m just gonna yeet myself out with the trash!” 

Sky had gone from panic to nearly crying in laughter as her demon friend continued to joke and run around the Skeld, going in and then popping out of the vents as she walked past. 

Blackjack had boundless energy that night, and she had assumed he had had caffeine and sugar in a large quantity. 

When they had both finally gotten tired, Sky had gone to bed smiling. 

She smiled faintly now, fond of the memory. Blackjack had to come back. He just had to. 

He wasn’t only the technician, he was the most kindhearted and comedic individual and brought a light to everyone’s days with his presence. 

Sky decided to go to her room for the night. There were no more tasks to be done, and most of the crew were in their rooms anyway. 

The raptor dragon crewmate went and flopped on her bed, whining. There was nothing else she could do but rest and wait for true sleep to come. 

She had felt different since Dalton had attacked, and tried to kill her. 

She felt feverish in spells, and some days she was so hungry that it was hard to think. 

Yesterday she had noticed that her vision was changing. She realized that she could see well with the lights dimmed. Sky wondered how long it would take for it to progress to being able to see perfectly well in the dark. She didn’t even know how she knew that the changes weren’t over with, but she did, in some part of her mind. 

Sky shut her eyes and tried to go to sleep. She was bored and mentally drained anyway. 

The world faded out as she drifted off to sleep.


	7. Sus or Lucky Break?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise among the crew as they pick sides involving the Blackjack issue

“Sky!” Someone called nearby. She didn’t stir. The blankets were comfortable. Her hands appeared and she pulled them tighter, ignoring the voice. 

“SKYLASHA WAKE UP!” The voice was louder, insistent. 

Skylasha jolted awake with a sound of alarm. “What is it? What’s going on?” She asked. Her voice cracked with drowsiness.

"Uhhh come to the cafe quickly. There's something happening." Vritra's voice. She could hear him through her closed door. Sky scrambled to get up. She had no idea what time it even was. She squinted at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 0600. Really. As much as she hated the thought of anything worse occurring, she hoped it was an actual emergency and not a 'Vritra emergency'. 

The purple dragon was lovable and sweet, but naive and excitable. It had caused chaos before in the past. 

Sky tossed her blankets aside and got out of bed, hurrying to unlock the door. 

Vritra was standing there, worry written on his face behind his visor. "What is it?" Sky asked quickly. 

"Come to the cafe, quick." He responded and took off at a brisk pace. Sky hurried after him, her tail swinging for balance. "Vritra what aren't you telling me? What's going on?" She asked. 

"Blackjack." Vritra said softly.

"What about him?" Sky asked warily. Had he somehow been...recovered? Was his cadaver found nearby? Sky's heart raced. She didn't know if she could stand the sight of Blackjack without life in him. 

"He's alive. Or. Someone or something is very good at appearances." Vritra responded. 

"HE'S ALIVE?!" Sky screeched. "VRITRA. BLACKJACK IS ALIVE AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!" She yelled. Excitement and confusion twisted inside her, warring for dominance. 

Vritra came back to her and made frantic motions for her to shush. “Quiet! We don’t  _ know _ what’s going on.” He supplied quickly, eyes looking nervous behind his visor. 

“What do you mean?” Sky asked of him, following as he stepped back and started to walk away again. 

“Come and you’ll see.” Vritra responded. He didn’t say more as they reached the cafe. 

Baten, Figment, and Mercury were gathered around the airlock, their lime, red, and blue suits filling the space. 

“Sky? SKY!” A familiar voice cried with excitement, words muffled by the barrier formed by his helmet and the airlock.

“Jack?” Sky asked. She tried to get closer to the airlock where what appeared to be Blackjack was bracing himself, clinging for purchase. He was gripping tightly with his claws as he tried to keep his feet steady. In the zero gravity of Space, it would be nearly impossible for him to hold on for long in his precarious position. Baten held her back. “No. We don’t know if it’s him.” He growled, eyes filled with worry and distrust. 

Sky shook her head. “What do you mean you don’t know if it’s him?” She asked.

Baten growled more, low in his throat.

“Remember Dalton? What if it’s another one of those...those  _ things,  _ an...an  _ imposter!  _ What then? We surely cannot simply let him back on the ship Skylasha.” He explained with haste, fear and anger taking over. 

Blackjack started at them through his visor, struggling to keep his grip on the narrow ledge outside the airlock. “Please.” He begged. “Please, it’s me, Blackjack.” 

Sky swallowed, her throat aching with tears as she faced Baten. 

“And what if we turn him away, and it  _ is really him!? _ Do you want to live with the consequences of that?” She demanded. She suddenly felt hot yet shivery, as if the feverish feeling was coming back. She felt sweat run down her face

Baten stared. “Of...of course not.” He sputtered, raising his hands in a gesture of defeat. 

“Sky! Sky please help me, it’s me! Jack!” Blackjack called from his position. 

“We have to let him back on the ship.” Sky stated. 

“Are you NUTS?!” Mercury yelled, joining in on the argument. Sky hissed in exasperation. She couldn’t let them toss aside the demon guy so quickly.

“Please!” Blackjack cried. Alarm was in his voice this time. “I’m slipping!”

He grasped for purchase, but the combination of the Skeld’s movement, and the lack of gravity gave him little force to use to keep himself in place.

“Please. The jetpack has no fuel left. I’m stranded.” He begged. His claws dug in so hard that his fingers were turning white. His ripped gloves allowed him more grip, but it wouldn’t be enough if he was left hanging off the side of the spaceship much longer. 

Sky made up her mind. She was letting him back on the Skeld. 

“Move. We’re letting him back on.” She growled. Her feathers felt weird. The crest prickled before bristling in a fashion closer to spines than soft feathers. 

Baten got in the way, Mercury keeping back. “We cannot.” 

“I...I think Sky is right.” Figment spoke up. Vritra said nothing, watching everyone. 

Sky looked at Figment, then at Vritra. 

“Sky is right.” Vritra said, nervously pulling at his claws. “We can’t throw away someone who we have mourned for weeks and now we found out he lives!” He cried. 

Blackjack made a frightened whine. 

“Hurry!” He begged. He scratched at the airlock surface, desperation in his eyes behind his visor’s glass. 

“Please.” Sky said. “We need him. More than ever, now.” She stated. 

Baten glared at her. 

“Fine. But you hear me and you hear me well. If anything terrible happens because of this, I’ll throw you out the airlock myself.” 

Sky opened and closed her mouth a few times. 

“ I understand.” She replied. 

“Open the airlock.” Baten grunted. He got out of the way and moved to assist with working the locking mechanism. 

Sky let out a sigh of relief. As the airlock came open, she grabbed for Jack’s hands. Holding them tight with determination to help him inside, she pulled. It helped that he weighed nothing with the zero gravity surrounding him. Sky and Vritra together pulled him inside. 

Blackjack collapsed on the floor as the airlock slammed shut with a rush of freezing cold. 

“Th-thank you.” He gasped, releasing his grip on Sky’s hands and latching his fingers under his helmet. He pulled it off, setting it beside him on the floor of the Cafeteria. 

He fluffed his messy, wild hair and just breathed for a few long moments. Sky and Vritra sat nearby, but didn’t touch him, letting him acclimate to being back in gravity and warmth. 

“Welcome back.” Sky said in a quavering voice. 

Blackjack offered her a weak smile, emotion welling in his eyes. No doubt he was overwhelmed with relief at being able to make it back to the Skeld alive.

There he was, right in front of her. Her best friend. She had mourned him every day of his absence, fearing the worst must have come true. But here he was. Of course he had survived! Blackjack was a survivor. He was intelligent, stubborn, and almost always knew how to fix problems. He did his best, and it had paid off in him successfully surviving Space. 

When he could breathe again, Blackjack looked up and found Baten’s face, focusing on him. “Baten.” He said. His voice was raspier than Sky remembered. Deeper too. 

The dragon raptor equated it to disuse and natural changes. He was a young demon, after all. Didn’t they have deeper voices than some other species? She wasn’t sure, and it was the least of her worries. Blackjack was ALIVE, that was all that really mattered now.

“What?” Baten asked. He sounded impatient and nervous. He observed Blackjack with a wariness that betrayed his suspicions that the demon wasn’t who he appeared to be. 

“Dalton won’t be coming back.” Blackjack stated. His eyes were tired, yet determined.

Baten’s eyes widened beneath his visor. “How can you promise that?” He asked. He sounded as wary as ever. “How can you promise me that we won’t be in danger again?” 

Blackjack shook his head. “I can’t promise there won’t be any new dangers. It’s Space, bruh. If there aren't dangers, then we aren’t in Space.” He replied. His voice remained the raspy, deeper growl, new but not unpleasant. 

“But, Dalton himself will never harm us again. He died out there.” Blackjack motioned towards the airlock and the vast and endless night beyond. 

Baten nodded. “I want to talk to you more about what happened to you out there. And why you thought going AWOL by jumping out of the airlock was the best decision.” He grunted.

Blackjack’s eyebrows furrowed. Baten raised his hands. “No, no, listen. I don’t mean that as accusatory. I...I’m just shocked you survived. I’m happy you’re back.” The dragon demon came closer and tried to offer a hand to Blackjack. 

“I understand you don’t trust me.” Blackjack said. He didn’t reach out to take Baten’s hand, just watched him. 

“I’ll earn back your trust. I’ll show you that I’m still every inch the good crewmate that I was before. Starting with fixing comms. I can hear it spazzing out from here.” Blackjack replied. 

Sky couldn’t resist a smile. He had to be okay. Who else would take such a grave situation in stride, and with faint humor like that? 

“I’ll come with you.” She offered. 

“Yes.” Blackjack agreed. “But can we have dinner first? I am  _ starving.”  _

_ " _ Of course we can eat. It's actually breakfast time, let's get something good." Sky suggested as she and Vritra helped Blackjack stand up.

"Thank you. It's so good to be back. I'll start repairing things as soon as I'm not starving." Blackjack promised.

"No. You need rest after your ordeal." Baten said finally, after a long moment of just staring. He still sounded like he didn't trust Blackjack, but Sky was sure that that would change with time.

"Fair enough. You're right. My brain might short circuit and go bababooey if I don't sleep soon. But first, how about lots and lots of waffles and maple syrup, buttered, hot and fresh?" Blackjack chuckled with a grin that was so familiar and charming that it just _had_ to be the Blackjack from before. 

Maybe everything would be alright after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy it's been a bit! Took a break to get some Christmas presents made for friends  
> I will be trying my best to update this regularly when I can! I hope you like it! I'll try to figure out a way I can share official art of the characters so you can have visuals of them!  
> Enjoy the new chapters <3


	8. An Imposter Ponders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack contemplates what to do next, now that he's back on the Skeld. Baten's suspicions presents a potential problem for the demon.

Blackjack dried his fluffy hair with a towel. After he had finished, he tossed the towel at a basket. He stepped back into a fresh, clean suit and pulled it on, setting his helmet on his nightstand. It was simplistic and didn't take up much space, essential for rocket living. The suit smelled nice, faintly of the decontamination spray that had been used to wash it. 

Jack closed his eyes and yawned, exposing his sharp teeth. It was late, 0000 in fact, and the demon was exhausted. 

It drained him to have to consistently focus on appearing normal. He had slipped into it becoming easier in the past week or so, but whenever he was confronted with a sudden surprise, or a stressor, it took all his willpower to tamp down on the alien additions to his appearance. Blackjack didn't know if it was a kind of magic that allowed him to appear normal, but he didn't like thinking of things in terms of 'magic'. That wasn't practical, and could cause misunderstandings. He'd much rather think scientifically, the 'glamour' more of an adaptation to appear normal around others. 

Of course, in a true imposter, the ability would be perfected and used for hunting prey, presumably the weaker, smaller, unaltered crew. The thought of that disgusted the demon. _Jack_ was a crewmate, right? He couldn't cave to such a feral need. How abhorrent a thought. Jack shook his head to cast those thoughts away. He didn't like thinking like that too long. He still had the imagery of Dalton's rampage caught within his mind. If Jack hadn't been there, the raptor turned hungry monster would have damaged the ship further and even worse: endangered, if not ended the lives of the other crewmates. Jack had a brief thought in his mind: Were there more than one type of imposter? Both alien-altered but one type with out of control hunger and hyper aggression, and the other strengthened but safe from the feral rages? 

Jack didn't know, and he certainly didn't want to find out. All he wanted right now was to collapse happily into bed and sleep until he would be woken up in the morning. Baten wanted to speak to him more about his experiences. Jack sighed as he took off his gloves and looked at his claws. He let them appear as their real appearance for just a moment, shiny, dark and wickedly sharp. Then he shifted them back into that glamoured state, where they were duller and regular looking. It wasn't unusual for a demon to have claws, of course, but to have literal weapons on your hands would scare any of the other crew. Jack remembered seeing Dalton's claws. The raptor's delicate fingers had warped and grown, tipped with deadly talons. And his _teeth._ Jack touched his hand, feeling where he had been bitten. There was no scars there. Absolutely nothing to show that he had been severely hurt by the raptor monster. 

Jack didn't think he would ever forget the sensation of layers of ragged teeth piercing through his glove and savaging him. He hoped that he would never have to fight another crazed raptor beast for as long as he lived. Feeling his heart rate pick up with barely suppressed nervous energy, Jack decided that he had better get himself into bed before he got his thoughts racing too much. Besides, he had to get up in the morning and have a discussion with Baten. Jack checked his door lock to ensure that it was secured, then got into bed. He tucked the blankets around himself and then he could finally free himself of the glamour's work. 

The demon let out a sigh of relief as his fingers cracked and the claws extended. His third eye opened up and blinked, increasing his range of vision. He closed all three eyes and groaned in release as his body grew a little bit. Tension left his body bit by bit, his spine cracking in several places. His bones lengthened just a bit, the muscle structure increasing as this occurred. He rolled over and further pops sounded softly in his body. He wasn't much bigger as an imposter but letting himself appear as he was now felt like the best tension-melting stretch after a long day of keeping himself normal in appearance. He stretched his arms and made the happiest purring sound as he settled into the bedding for sleep.

Jack figured that he would find a way to explain eventually, but he couldn't yet. Not with Baten on his ass about everything and being caring but pushy. Jack was sure that Baten knew that the Blackjack that had come back to the Skeld was a changed demon, not the same as before, but there was no way in hell that Jack would blurt out "So yeah, when Dalton stabbed me, his venom turned me into a monster too." 

For that matter, Jack still hadn't figured out a way to explain away why Dalton hadn't survived the misadventure out into space. Not that anyone had exactly _wanted_ the raptor turned monster to return...but it wasn't the easiest feat to explain that he hadn't died from space...but at the hands of a rage-fueled demon. Jack sighed. He'd figure it out. Now if only he could figure out a way to do it without Baten tossing him right back out the airlock without a second thought. Jack growled softly. This was impossible. Maybe...maybe he could try to go to Vritra...or Sky...they would listen. He knew Sky would for sure. The demon resigned to think about all this later. 

Jack rolled over and investigated the clock. He could see perfectly fine in the dark, unbothered by it. 0030. "God dammit I told myself it wouldn't be a late night. Well...shit." He grumbled to himself. Jack rolled all three of his eyes and settled in. It was time for rest. There was much to do in the morning, and he'd need all the patience and energy that he could get. 

Jack closed his eyes and slipped to sleep, dreams welling up. Stars. So many stars. Infinite points of light in infinite night. The demon slept. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this filler chapter, more action to come! Comments, questions and kudos appreciated :D 
> 
> Please check out the tumblr for art of some of the characters: https://fandomraptorscreaming.tumblr.com/
> 
> And this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWTS6pZKZMfi9rqIey0vqfQYJqY5GyH_l


	9. Suspicions Looming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Brief description of body horror 
> 
> Blackjack attempts to vibe peacefully, but is done a spook.

The morning alarm went off, piercing in the peaceful silence. Blackjack groaned, cursing in complaint. He reached out without opening his eyes and smacked at his alarm. His hand hit it a bit too hard and he heard the plastic snap beneath his strength. "Shit." The demon growled to himself, opening his eyes and looking towards where the alarm had been. The annoying sound had stopped, and now only a broken device remained, crushed by Blackjack's alien strength. 

"Jeezus christ." The demon said, shocked how such a simple movement could cause so much damage. He would have to be mindful and careful with his devices from now on. And...when around others. He realized that he had to play it safe and slow with the crew. Baten clearly already suspected something was different about the demon crew member. And, unfortunately, he wasn't wrong. 

Jack sat up slowly, stretching and letting his muscles warm up. He shivered as he forced himself to get out of the blankets. It was always chilly in the mornings, and getting out of bed was the last thing that he had wanted to do at so early an hour. But, Baten was waiting, and it was best to get this over with quickly. Blackjack hoped that he could steer Baten away from suspicion, for now, at least. He still had to figure out a safe way to out himself. The demon didn't want to be forced back out the airlock. 

Blackjack might not have needed oxygen now, but he knew that he would surely get very cold and consequentially very hungry in the process of all his energy diverting itself to keeping him warm in the freezing vacuum of space. Blackjack would just have to think about this, carefully and calmly. He'd have to divert Baten's attention, just for a little longer, and then he'd tell the truth. Blackjack opted to quickly brush his fluffy hair to free it of bedhead, quickly forced his appearance beneath the glamour, and headed out the door. 

He was walking down the hallway at a brisk pace meant to warm him up, when he collided with Skylasha. 

"Ack!" Blackjack exclaimed. 

"SORRY! SORRY!" Sky cried in alarm, backing up and looking away in embarrassment. "You're up early." She said. Her breathing sounded off to Jack, raspy. Had she been crying? Or was she just fresh out of bed? Blackjack observed her with a searching gaze. 

"Are you okay?" He asked gently.

"Yes...no...confused." Skylasha responded after a moment's hesitation. 

Blackjack regarded her a bit closer. His alien senses sparked to life, even with the glamour in place. Either he was tired and overreacting, or the raptor dragon smelled like an imposter. 

"Are you feeling okay?" Blackjack pressed. He looked at his friend with worry. She wavered in place, looking around as if she had forgotten what she was doing. Sky stared at Blackjack for a long moment before dropping slowly to a crouch and looking from side to side. 

"Vents are cool. They're warm. Safe." Sky responded, ignoring Jack's questioning. 

After a moment of intensely staring at the camera, as if to discern if it was on -it wasn't- Sky lifted the lid of a vent and disappeared inside. 

Blackjack felt a trickle of icy chill go rippling down his spine. Sky was becoming an imposter...

"No no no no no." Jack whispered to nothing and no one as he paced over to the cafe window, clapping his hands over his mouth. 

What if Sky went feral? What if she became just like Dalton? Blackjack didn't want to think about it. His heart raced as he tried to slow his breathing and get ahold of himself. He didn't have all the information yet...maybe she was fine. Yeah, maybe she was fine. 

Who said a crewmate couldn't go into a vent? But Blackjack knew. He knew in his bones. The confusion she was experiencing, the off scent, the need for safety. He remembered his own transformation. It had been so strange and sudden. He had been wounded severely, the next he had no scars. And then came the growth spurt, the new strength, and confusion. He remembered trying to do tasks. It was like a brain fog had descended over him, and caffeine and a full stomach did little to make a difference. He'd snapped an ID card in half, then nearly knocked the printer into the floor in a fit of barely tamped down irritation that had threatened to turn into unbridled demon rage. He remembered climbing into a vent for the first time. It had felt _right._ He had felt so comfortable and warm and safe, and he loved the ability to move quicker from room to room. There was no other possible explanation for Sky's behavior.

But...but how had Sky gotten infected? 

Blackjack whimpered in dismay to himself. How hadn't he noticed earlier, when he had returned to the ship? The demon didn't know. He tried to shut off the panic and speculation thoughts and focus on _how_ this had occurred, instead. He thought back to the day Dalton had met his demise and a wave of knowledge came to him. "Shit. Oh god. How did I not notice? I should have known. I should have _known."_ Blackjack said to himself, pressing his face into his gloves. 

Skylasha had been wounded by Dalton. _Bitten._ Blackjack felt realization hit him like a wave of frozen water washing over him. He hadn't even thought about it, but Dalton's attack on Sky had been long enough that his venom would have replenished after the attack on Blackjack. 

"Blackjack. There you are." Baten's voice snapped Jack from his thoughts. He jolted and looked at his reflection to make sure that he looked normal. He sighed when he did. 

"Hey. Good morning, how are you today?" Baten asked of him. The dragon-demon came to stand beside him. 

"I'm okay, sorry. I'm not a morning person. Hehehe." Blackjack managed to say. It wasn't completely a lie. 

"It's okay. I just have some questions for you, about your time in space. Then you're welcome to go back to bed. We're nearing Mira day by day now, less tasks to worry about." Baten responded. 

Blackjack smiled faintly. "Thank you." He said softly. It took all his willpower to not turn and look at the vents across the room. Blackjack hoped upon hope that Sky would have the sense, even through her confused state, to not come out of the vent in front of them. Jack didn't think she would, given that it was warm and comforting, but the confused mind state worried the demon. 

"So Blackjack." Baten said. 

"Yes?" Jack asked. 

"How did you survive without oxygen out there?" Baten asked. His gaze was searching, and it made Blackjack feel unnerved. 

_He knows. Oh god. He knows._ Blackjack's mind supplied. 

"I found an oxygen supply. When mine ran out, I used it." He replied evenly. It wasn't exactly a lie. Not fully. 

"I have another question." Baten said. He didn't say more to the response, just moved on. Blackjack didn't know if it was better or worse that he didn't press further. 

"Sure, go ahead." Blackjack said. He figured if he cooperated and stayed calm, everything would be fine. Even as sweat threatened to drip down his face. 

"What happened to Dalton?" Baten asked. He stared right at Blackjack. His eyes were searching, contemplating. 

Blackjack swallowed hard, fear sending piercing chills rippling down his back. 

"He died. There wasn't enough food." Jack tried to say. "For um. For his metabolism, um. He froze. He couldn't keep himself warm." Blackjack lied. Hunger welled up in his own gut all of a sudden. He raised an eyebrow and pressed his hands into his thighs, letting his claws press there to try to ground himself. 

Baten watched Blackjack's face levelly. "He absolutely won't come back? He's gone? You're sure of it?" He pressed. 

Blackjack noted how he took the answers and didn't press at them after a response. 

"Baten. Maybe I should tell you something." Blackjack tried. He felt a tearing sensation at his abdomen, beneath his toolbelt. _NO. NOT NOW. PLEASE NOT NOW._ He screeched internally as his abdomen did its best to split into the secondary mouth. Blackjack realized with terror that he should have eaten before this interrogation. He felt so suddenly starving hungry. His stomach _literally_ growled. 

"Is there something important?" Baten asked. 

"I...I should...go. I..." Blackjack got up as fast as possible. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I. Uh, my room, the air conditioner broke and leaked on the floor-BYE!" Blackjack ran for his room and slammed the door shut. Hunger welled up inside him, sudden and insistent.

Blackjack felt a mix of fear and yet, a need. A powerful need to feed himself immediately. The demon slid down to the floor and grabbed for his emergency high-protein and preserved meat snack supply. He ripped through packages, shoving food into his abdomen mouth as it expanded and opened up, teeth pushing out along his rib cage and front side. **"God dammit that's scary as hell."** Blackjack spoke in the deep, raspy demon voice that had become more natural to him with time. The imposter voice. 

After a few minutes, Blackjack calmed down and snacked quietly with his normal mouth, chewing some chocolate raisins. It wasn't the first time he'd had a hunger attack out of nowhere, but it had never happened in front of someone before. That frightened Jack. What if Baten had seen the secondary mouth? He'd have gotten thrown back out the airlock for sure. 

Blackjack forced himself up and crawled into bed, warm and fullness making his exhaustion come back at lightspeed. 

As the demon slipped into a food coma, his last thought was **_I have to be more careful...or I have to tell Baten the truth._**


	10. Come On Up To Mira HQ!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (EDIT: Was given permission by Jack's owner to finish this fic!) 
> 
> The team have reached Mira, but all is not as it seems. 
> 
> Language and violence this chapter!

* * *

As the days went by and the crew got closer to Mira HQ, Jack felt his fears growing stronger. He had tried, and failed to come up with a smooth way to tell the ship captain the truth of what had happened to him. He just _couldn't_ even though he knew that by keeping silent, he was likely headed for future troubles down the road. 

There was nothing he could do about it now. The crew would now be reaching Mira in a matter of hours. Jack was hoping that it would be a straight shot, easy stop for supplies, report and moving on to Polus. He had no idea if he could keep himself from revealing what he had turned into if put under the pressure of high stress. 

His secondary mouth usually showed up the second he got too hungry. The demon was extremely relieved that it was just an inconvenience. Although he sometimes had to struggle not to get too angry, due to his unnatural strength, the demon had no feral predator tendencies. 

He didn't hunger for destruction of crew or property, although sometimes when he got angry, he broke things out of forgetting his own strength. Jack had remained very much the same. It was like he was a video game character who had won a strange, alien upgrade. His senses had increased, his hearing and eyesight unrivaled by the other crew. He had become impossible to sneak up on, yet able to move quietly and carefully himself. 

Jack's brain had changed in some way. he noticed. Tasks were not impossible, but it was like a case of art block but directed at tools. He knew how to do the tasks, but he was slower, and had to really think about what he was doing. Sometimes he would get the urge to cut the wires out of frustration, and once he had been alone in admin and tried to flip the table over in extreme annoyance at the stupid card swipe machine. 

Jack was always careful to resist the urge to climb into vents in front of anyone. Only Sky knew he was capable of using them, and she hadn't told anyone. Jack desperately wanted to ask how she was faring, given he now knew that she too had been infected, but there was no time to ask. The crew was often together, celebrating their nearing arrival at Headquarters, and didn't question Jack's need to often be alone. He had been a lone wolf from the start, so there wasn't much difference now. He was left peacefully to his own device, and he wouldn't have it any other way. If he was left alone, he could try to formulate a plan. He still had to tell Baten about himself, and now Sky too. 

"BLACKJACK" Baten called. 

Jack froze in the middle of eating. Had he spaced out?? He peered at the remains of a BLT in his hands. He checked his hands for claws, silently noted with satisfaction that he had kept them hidden despite being spooked.

  
"Jack what are you doing?? Earth to Jack!" Baten said. 

Jack let out a breath. "Sorry, sorry I was thinking." He apologized hastily. "Do you need me?" 

Baten nodded. "I have a strange request for you, it's important for your safety." He stated.

Jack looked at him, and kept eating slowly. "What is that?" He asked carefully. What could his captain want from him?

"We're about to land on Mira HQ, it is beneficial for your safety that you remain temporarily hidden." Baten began. 

Jack tried to protest, looking at him with confusion. "WHAT?! I can't do that!" 

"Well, then it is no longer a request. As your captain I order you to remain hidden until I tell you it is safe to reveal yourself." Baten responded quickly. 

Jack resisted a growl. _What the hell, man??? This is such shit._ He thought to himself. 

"Baten with all due respect, I survived SPACE by myself, do you think I can't handle a few angry Officials?" He snapped, setting down his sandwich and putting his hands on his belt, gripping it with claws that were growing longer, sharper. 

"This isn't exactly about angry Officials, Jack. Listen to me please. I know we don't always get along, but trust me when I tell you that the way the Officials I called spoke about you? It wasn't right. When I told them you were MIA or worse, they brushed it off. Isn't that a little strange, given the importance of your position? Without you our ship suffered. Don't you think that's a bit strange how they'd so quickly write off a key team member?" Baten said. 

"Well...I do admit that sounds pretty sus now that you say it..." Jack said slowly. It was taking some effort not to slip into the imposter voice he had. 

"Listen. There's more. They praised Dalton like he was a great loss. Dalton, who did nothing but harm our crew, and attempted murder _twice."_ Baten went on. "When I yelled at them about it, my position was threatened. What kind of Official with his head on straight would threaten to silence me through revoking my position? Jack, I don't think we're going to have the smooth sailing on Mira we were hoping for. Please just listen to me and stay on board the ship until I can ensure it's safe, please Jack." Baten concluded. His tail flicked, adding to how serious he was being. 

Jack nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll stay on ship. Can I have a two way radio so we can communicate?" He implored gently. He felt his claws slowly go back to normal as his stress level went down. He also found it easier to control his voice. 

"Huh. That's new." Baten said. 

"What's new, sir?" Jack asked. His heart started to hammer again. Had he done something weird? 

"Never knew you had a third eye. Perks of being a demon, huh?" Baten said. 

"Y-yeah haha. Perks." Jack replied as inside his head he screeched at himself. 

"Well, let me get you that radio. Have a good day Jack." Baten said with a faint smile. 

Jack let out a breath as he was given a radio. He went to his room and settled to wait it out. With any luck, he figured they would be out of here soon and on their way to Polus. 

\-----

Skylasha stepped out of the ship and inhaled fresh air, looking around. She had been to Mira before, but it was such a relief compared to being in a ship for months upon months, never being in fresh air. 

"Baten, where do we fi-" 

"Welcome to Mira HQ!" A voice called. 

Sky looked away from her captain and focused on the direction of the speaker. "Hello, Yellow." She called. A yellow-suited naga slithered towards them, a faint smile on his face. He wasn't wearing his helmet, it was nowhere to be seen. Vritra made a nervous noise and Sky looked at him. 

"Hello Cyan, Skylasha, I am Raja, Head Official here." The snake man said. 

Sky felt a chill. She didn't like the way he just kept smiling, even as he spoke. It was...strange, and his blue eyes with red pupils were intense. 

"You shouldn't have come here." Raja went on, coming closer. Sky took a step back, looking to Baten and Vritra for their expressions. 

Vritra looked frightened, Baten was unreadable. 

"Excuse me?" Baten asked. "I spoke to Officials using Comms last week. Nobody told me not to bring the crew here, and we need supplies and fuel. We lost two team members...I...I explained all this." Baten growled. He looked confused, and torn. He had the look of someone who knew they were in danger, but didn't want to admit it yet. In denial that the person who was meant to help was only there to cause harm. 

"Yes." Raja hissed softly, looking boredly at his claws. "Terribly sorry about Blackjack." He said in the least sincere voice Sky had ever heard. 

Raja swung his head towards her with a movement that looked puppeted, unnatural. **"He's replaceable, as are all of you crewmates."** Raja snarled, his voice growing deeper and raspier. Sky realized with a bolt of shock that she had heard Jack use a very similar voice before, under stress. _But...if Jack was...infected...then...why hadn't he attacked us crew or turned us all in to Mira's corrupt Officials?_ She wondered. It was becoming clear that Mira HQ wasn't what it once had been. There would be no safety here. 

"How dare you say that about him! About us?! We almost DIED on that ship!" Sky yelled. Her voice changed too, different, deeper and raspier. She felt her anatomy threaten to change, denial and fear swimming in her mind. She couldn't be one of them, too? Could she? Even though she already knew the answer. 

**"Do you think we WANT you to find the cure??? How did you even survive the attack? At least Blackjack is no longer in the way of our plans."** Raja hissed. He circled the crew, bigger than before, and his teeth were more deadly. Sky could smell blood on him. 

"How did you know about what happened?" She asked even as she realized she knew. "Dalton." She growled, spitting his name out like poison. 

**"Yesssss clever little thing aren't you?? Why don't you join us? I know what you are."** Raja snickered. He got in Sky's face. 

"No! I'm not one of you! I'm not!" Sky yelled. 

**"Are you sure??? How about I show everyone else the lies and deceit you're weaving."** The naga laughed, an awful sound, raspy and unpracticed. 

"NO!" Sky yelled as she backpedaled so fast she almost fell off of the platform they stood on. Raja advanced, knowing he had her cornered now. 

"Sky???" Baten asked. "What is he talking about?" He yelled over the wind. Sky felt it blow past her feathers. She had been forced up against two deadly predicaments. The Imposter, Raja, who intended to out her to everyone, and falling off the platform. 

"I...I can explain." Sky started. 

Raja grabbed for her and she skirted in the small space, trying not to fall. 

"Baten please!!! I'm not like him! I'm not a bloodthirsty monster! Please!" Sky yelled. 

Baten stared, not speaking. He backed away a bit. Sky felt her heart starting to hammer. If her captain didn't believe her, then she had no chance. 

Raja laughed and grabbed for her again, wrapping her up in his coils quickly. His eyes glowed with unnatural light. **"Well isn't this sweet. Begging for safety from a harmless little crewmate."** The imposter chuckled. **"It will never work. You aren't a crewmate anymore."**

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Baten and Vritra screamed over the wind. 

**"ARE YOU THICK?!"** Raja shot back. **"SKY IS A-"**

A flying tool whipped through the air and smashed against his jaw, his shout turning into a surprised yell. 

The imposter naga screeched in pain and dropped Skylasha immediately, uncoiling and looking for the source of the weapon that had been thrown. A wrench clattered to the ground and Raja hissed furiously, dark tears springing to his eyes as his jaw already threatened to bruise. 

Blackjack stood at the entrance of the Skeld, watching with fury on his face. "I advise you to step away from my team mates." He said with confidence. 

Baten looked in his direction. "Jack." He said quietly, as if to warn the demon. 

"No. Let me do this." Jack responded, walking down the grate to step onto the platform. 

Raja watched the demon with an angry, wary stare. **"So you live after all."** He said. 

"Yeah. I do. Your Pink little raptor puppet should've tried a little harder." Jack retorted. 

Skylasha scrambled out of the way as Jack stood and faced the Imposter naga. She ran to Baten and Vritra, looking back towards the Skeld to spot Figment and Mercury peering from the entrance. She waved them away in attempt to stop Raja's attention from going towards them. 

**"It seems you were more formidable than I thought. No matter, you walked right into our clutches. Say goodbye, Jack!"** Raja hissed and darted at Jack so fast that he was a blur. Jack tried to get out of the way of the strike, evading claws and teeth. Raja roared and whipped his tail into Jack. The demon cried out and tripped, the momentum sending him stumbling back. He flailed out for grip. "No! NO!!!" Vritra and Skylasha yelled in unison, rushing forwards as Jack fell backwards off the platform and disappeared into fog within seconds. The demon let out a scream that was quickly swallowed up by the fog, no echoes repeating after he got further away. 

Skylasha ran to the edge, looking over, desperate. Vritra came after her, both of them looking with frantic eyes for their friend. They both knew he was nowhere to be found, gone, but they couldn't help it. 

How many nights had Jack indulged Vritra by playing his namesake card game after dinner? How many times had he drawn beautiful and expressive sketches of his fellow crew as surprises he tucked into their fixed technology? How many times had Jack told stories and sat star-gazing with them and rambling about what they'd all do when they got back to Earth someday? When _hadn't_ Jack been a delightful, smart and fun member of the team, really? And now...now he was gone...

 **NOOOOOOO!!! NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!** Skylasha screamed. Her voice switched like a dime under stress, but she didn't care. There was nothing else to think about right now besides the fact that Jack had just sacrificed himself. She punched the platform, not caring as it did nothing but drive pain through her hand. She made a feral scream of anguish, looking towards Vritra, who had shut down in grief. He was sitting in disbelief, crying. 

**"Who's next?"** Raja chuckled. He looked so calm, like this was a game meant to entertain him and pass the time. 

Skylasha stood up slowly. creaks and pops sounding as her anatomy re-arranged and she grew a bit larger in size. Her claws tore through her suit and her face mask ripped off, revealing deadly teeth and strange pupiled, slightly glowing eyes surrounded by dark, chronically tired dark circles. 

**"YOU!"** She roared and rushed the Imposter that had killed her friend. 

Baten cried out in shock, and Vritra stared, silent and broken in sadness as Sky ran as fast as possible at Raja and jumped into the air, launching at him in fury. She bit into him, clawed him, bringing him down. Her vision turned red and she went wild on him, not holding back. Raja hissed and fought back, matching her blow for blow before she bit into his hands, savaging with curved teeth. Raja let go, cowering. She roared and opened her jaw, instinctively unhinging it as she stood over him, her adapted, barbed, chameleon like tongue revealing itself slowly. 

**"STOP I forfeit! STOP! You can go, just STOP!"** Raja cried out after realizing he would not be escaping. 

Sky stared down at him through a red haze, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She wanted to put an end to him right now, stab quickly and leave him to bleed. She mulled this over, the rage swimming through her mind. 

**"Let me go."** Raja pleaded. **"Please."**

Sky didn't know what prompted her to stop. She shook her head and the red haze faded to pink before beginning to lift. 

**"Follow us and I won't give you a second chance."** She snapped before groaning as her body began to shift back to normal. In seconds, besides the blood on her, she appeared every inch a normal, tiny crewmate again. "We have to go. Baten, get us out of here. Please. I'll help Vritra." Sky whimpered. Her voice cracked back to normal. 

Baten nodded. The group called for Figment and Mercury before setting off in the direction they needed to go. 

\-----

Blackjack groaned. He rolled over and hissed as his body ached. It was knitting itself back together. He had risked falling off the platform with the hopes of making it out alive, and he had succeeded. The demon man grunted and forced himself to sit up, flexing knitting fingers and joints. 

He had to help his team, but first he had to get back up to the top. Jack made a whining noise as he looked up, up, up at the glass building that stood before him. Halfway up, fog obscured its form, and even further up, clouds could be faintly seen through the gauzy fog. 

"Jeezus crimeny." Jack said to himself. He was grateful that he had survived the fall, but he just hoped that his interference had been enough of a distraction to help the crew. Now to find a way back up there to stop the imposters. 

Jack was sure of it now, as Baten had said, Mira had been acting strangely in their decisions and behavior. The Officials must all have been infected, he had come to realize. Jack was going to have to reveal himself sooner or later, he knew it. 

He stood up and made his way towards the tower before him. "Hold on, crew. I'm coming. We'll get out of this. I didn't fight a imposter and survive space for nothing." He said to his out of reach friends just as much as to himself. 

He didn't see the figure watching him from a distance, eyes glowing red through the mist that surrounded the ground level, or hear the rasp into a radio. "The demon is alive. Don't worry, boss, he'll join us soon. I'll offer him what he wants most. A promise of a cure he'll never receive..." 


	11. Showdown on Mira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violence/language in this chapter 
> 
> Heading to the finish line now, I hope you enjoy what I do with the crew as their story draws to a close. There's a bit more left, and I hope you like it <3

Blackjack ran as fast as he could manage to the nearest elevator. He had the terrible sense that he was being followed, and prayed against all odds that it was just paranoia after a long day. That was, until he heard footsteps dogging him. 

Jack ran faster, tossing his helmet. He didn't need it, the air on Mira was refreshing and good, and besides, everyone knew what he looked like in all likelihood. If the Mira team was all imposters, they all had access to the records that included Baten's teams' IDs and photos. There was no point of trying to remain anonymous anymore. He pressed the elevator button a bit too hard and the button shattered under his claws. "COME ON dammit! Let's go!" He yelled in alarm. The door couldn't have opened quickly enough. There was a dinging chime as it finally opened.

The panicked demon rushed inside and slammed the close button behind him, sending cracks bolting up the entire keypad with the force. When stressed it became harder and harder to control his strength. He cringed as a figure slammed into the outside of the door. His eyes widened and he was grateful, yet terrified at the fact that he couldn't see who...or what it was.

Blackjack tried to breathe slowly and calmly as the elevator took its time going up to the floors above. He let out a sigh of relief as it reached the Greenhouse. "Haha, lost ya, sucker." He said breathlessly as he looked back at the elevator with no attacker in sight. 

"Oh did you Jackie?" A barely familiar voice rasped, alien and cold. Jack whipped around to face his adversary. 

"No. No. Impossible. No. I've finally lost my mind from the stress and I'm seeing a ghost." Jack stammered. He didn't even have time to get angry over the 'nickname' the other guy had pinned on him since day one on the crew. He had hated it every single time, the condescending, belittling voice the man had used on him, talking to him like he was a kid. "It's Blackjack or Jack. No exception." Jack had stated many a time. 

"Leave Jack alone." Vritra and Sky had implored over and over, trying and struggling to remain polite and patient. 

"Well that's not a very nice way to say hello." The other guy rasped. Blackjack couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

"Dalton." He hissed, stepping back and keeping his eyes on him. "How? I...I killed you." 

Dalton stepped towards him. His once nice pink suit was torn badly, and the raptor imposter's entire face and neck was exposed. He had gained extra eyes, three on each side, all gleaming red and cold, and his nasty teeth overlapped in several places, standing out as deadly, ugly, and frightening. His neck was scarred heavily from his prior fight with Blackjack. "How are you alive?" Jack implored again of him. 

"You should know. We aren't so easy to kill, now are we Jackie?" Dalton snickered. 

"Stop calling me that, it's JACK!" Blackjack roared. 

"Won't matter if you don't listen carefully." Dalton threatened. He held up a vial in his deadly claws. "You see this?" He asked of the demon.

Blackjack narrowed his eyes. "What is it?" He asked, keeping his voice level. 

"A cure for your alien infection. Wouldn't you like to be just a normal demon again? Free of the hunger? Free of the unnatural strength? Free of the having to hide what you've become under a veil you can only keep in place when you aren't stressed?" Dalton asked. He paced, watching Jack by keeping his head the same direction no matter how his body was turned. 

Jack shuddered, creeped out. "You would never just hand over something like that." He hissed. He didn't believe it. Even then, it intrigued him. Could he really go back to normal? There was a way to get rid of the alien adaptations he had gotten?

"What? Are you considering it?" Dalton asked.

Jack narrowed his eyes at him. "What's the catch here?" He asked. 

Dalton grinned, more than he was already permanently stuck with. "Join us." He hissed. "Join us, help us destroy the crew once and for all, and you will get to go home cured." He chuckled. 

Blackjack let out a wild laugh. He had to, the stress had worn on him and letting it out felt better. "NEVER." He snapped when he recovered. 

"Never?" Dalton asked coolly. "I'm offering you a ticket free of your alien nightmare, Jackie." He said. 

Blackjack shook his head and let his voice deepen to the imposter voice. " **I would rather spend every day for the rest of my life as this then ever be normal again! If the cost of becoming normal again is my friends' lives? NEVER! I am one and the same as I have always been. I now just have more power to stop YOU!"** The demon roared. " **Get out of the way, Dalton! I will not ask you again, this is your one and only chance."**

Dalton stared at the demon with his eyes narrowing. "If that is really what you think, then have it your way, demon." He snapped. 

Jack didn't hold back anymore. There was no more fear of himself in his mind as he figuratively tore through the glamour he had weaved with his mind to keep his body appearing normal. He roared triumphantly as his body changed, his claws bursting free of his gloves, long and curved. Strength filled his body and his third eye opened as his bones stretched a bit, giving him new height. He had to be 4'0" or a little more, a giant among the crew that were 3'6" at most. His abdomen mouth appeared, teeth pressing free as it opened up, the deadly tongue flickering out before disappearing again between the teeth. The demon imposter rushed Dalton as Dalton rushed him, and they collided. 

Dalton's claws went for Jack's face but were blocked by Jack ducking his head and headbutting Dalton. Dalton cried out at the hit, stumbling backwards. Jack shoved him, adding momentum to the already falling raptor monster. 

Dalton fell easier than Jack expected, but he realized quickly that it had been on purpose. The Imposter raptor immediately kicked upwards at Jack, trying to land a deadly blow to Jack's gut with his sickle claws. Blood was running down the other imposter's face where Jack had managed to hit him with the force of his horns. The raptor's foot missed, hitting Jack's leg. The demon yelled in pain. Dalton hissed and lashed out again as Jack stumbled back out of reach.

Jack watched Dalton, thinking about his next move. He didn't want to risk getting stung by the raptor. He had no idea what more venom could do to him. It had been a venom-soaked knife stab that had been the catalyst of Jack's transformation in the first place. He didn't want to find out if more venom could make him become a monster like Dalton, permanently altered in physical appearance and worse, raging hunger and aggression. The demon picked up a potted plant and threw it as hard as possible at Dalton. 

Dalton screeched and dodged, his tail coming around quick as a viper striking. The potted plant whipped into the glass, smashing right through it. Jack may have been small, but the force of the throw combined with his alien strength made it a deadly mix. 

Dalton stabbed his tail at Jack, wrapped it around the demon's foot, and yanked him. Jack fell, winded. The Greenhouse floor made a terrible creaking noise. _**"No."**_ Jack whimpered. 

Dalton laughed. **"What's wrong?"** He asked as he loomed over the demon imposter. 

**_"Stop."_** Blackjack said quietly, afraid that yelling could worsen the situation. He felt the floor cracking beneath him, the glass unable to take the strength of the two fighting aliens. They didn't weigh much, but the sheer force of their blows was dangerous. 

**"Oh you want me to stop now???"** Dalton demanded. **"FUNNY JOKE!"** He yelled. He smashed a foot against the glass, more cracks forming from the force. A bolt of frozen fear pierced through Blackjack. Dalton grinned, staring down at him with six frightening, red eyes that held nothing but coldness within.

 **"Dalton no! Dalton listen to me."** Jack implored. Didn't the other imposter understand that this wasn't him playing games? He was trying to help! Dalton made a horrible laughing noise and glared at Jack as he backed up to position himself.

 **"SHUDDUP JACKIE!"** Dalton retorted vehemently. He lowered into a crouch before leaping at Jack with a horrifying scream. 

Jack scrambled out of the way, making it to the safety of the hallway. He turned in time to see Dalton hit the already cracked glass with all the force of an angry imposter. The speed and momentum combined with unnatural strength shattered the floor. Blackjack cringed and cried out but there was nothing more he could do. He saw Dalton scramble desperately for purchase for a split second before losing his grip and falling with a feral scream. The imposter raptor monster fell out of sight, Jack turning away as the monster's scream vanished into the fog. 

The demon let himself breathe, shaking. He was so frightened, pumped full of adrenaline, and awash with gratitude that it hadn't been him to fall through the glass floor. He wasn't sure that he would survive a secondary fall, from much higher than the one he had made it out alive from earlier. He wasn't taking any chances. 

"BLACKJACK!" Baten's voice got the demon's attention. Jack looked up. His team mates were approaching him.

"Blackjack. We got the fuel, oxygen, and food. Let's get out of here." Baten said. "Bl-Blackjack...what happened to y-" Baten stared the second he saw the demon before him. Jack stood up straight, pushing his hair out of his face to show his third eye. He would not hide himself anymore, he would see this through as himself, _all of himself._ No more hiding. 

"I can explain everything aboard the Skeld. Let's go. Please trust me, we have to get out of here. I was attacked." Jack hurriedly said, offering his hands in surrender. 

"Attacked. By who? Raja?" Sky asked, looking normal as always, but blood was on her suit. 

"No. _Dalton."_ Jack said.

"I thought he was dead." Baten said, eyes widening.

Blackjack sighed. "I can explain that too. Please, we have to get out of here before more imposters come. I doubt Raja and Dalton are the only ones." Jack said. There wasn't time to waste.

"Okay. Let's get out of here." Baten agreed. 

As they ran as quickly as possible, boots stamping on the floor, Baten looked up at Blackjack. "Ya know, I think you'd make a really good captain, if you tone down your recklessness just a bit. I value you here on the team, Jack. I should have said this a while ago, but thank you for saving us from Dalton. And for coming back to us. We really missed you." The demon dragon said sincerely. 

Jack smiled at him. "It's fine. Better late than never. Now let's get to Polus soon. I have the feeling there is where we will find all the answers we need." The demon replied. Baten nodded to him and they headed quickly back to the ship. 


	12. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blackjack finds acceptance and has a good talk with his Captain

"Blackjack." Baten said softly from a distance away. 

Jack turned to look at him, trying not to be disappointed that the demon dragon kept his distance from Jack, as if he was a ticking time bomb. 

"Yes, Captain?" Jack said, hoping that being formal could help get on the other man's good side. "You can come over here..." he added quietly, pushing his hair out of his face. "I know it's strange, but I promise I mean no harm." He explained. 

"Oh, I am sorry. After Dalton you know...but I should have thought how it would make you feel." Baten said as he obliged and came closer. Jack let out a sigh, relieved that Baten wasn't too frightened by him. 

"I...have some questions for you, if you'd like to talk." Baten said. 

Jack nodded, smiling faintly. "How about over some lunch?" He offered. They had time yet until they would reach Polus. Might as well try to relax before they faced whatever awaited the crew there, the demon figured. 

"Of course, Hungry Jack, why not." Baten chuckled. 

Jack wheezed. "What did you just call me?" He said with a smile. 

"Hungry Jack." Baten repeated, smiling now as well. 

Jack laughed, grinning. He went over to the cafe tables and sat down. 

Baten sat across from him, clicking through his tablet for the ordering menu. Jack looked at him, then looked away. He had a feeling that this was going to be a hard conversation. They were supposed to have this conversation when Blackjack had first returned, but in his haste and panic to conceal his alien side, a hunger attack had interrupted and he had bolted to his room to prevent his secondary mouth from exposing him as an Imposter in front of Baten. 

Now Baten knew, so there was no more need to hide. Blackjack currently appeared like a crewmate in his Captain's presence, but he hoped after they spoke, he could coax Baten into letting appear as his true self on board the Skeld. 

"Alright." Baten said after their food had arrived. It was pizza, hot, and fresh. 

Jack's stomach growled, literally growled. He felt the now familiar sensation of his secondary mouth forming, a tearing feeling and the teeth pressing free. "That smells so good." He said weakly. He'd missed pizza so so much. They'd rarely had it on the Skeld, finding it hard to get it in stock. On earth, he had often had Friday pizza night with friends, watching Marvel movies and falling asleep late into the night. 

"Blackjack, you don't have to hide yourself anymore. I know we haven't always been on the best terms, and I know I nearly let you be left in Space forever...but really, I want to mend what I did wrong. I made a lot of mistakes, and I'd like to take responsibility for that." Baten said. 

Blackjack jolted. Had he been drooling over pizza like a feral Imposter? 

"I..I can unglamour myself?" He asked, swallowing. The pizza smell made his stomach growl louder, desperate for food. He was slowly getting used to the hunger attacks. He would often be doing an activity just to be interrupted by raging cravings for high protein and sugary foods. 

"Of course you can, you're welcome here, Blackjack. All of you." 

Jack relaxed, letting go of the glamour that allowed him to appear as a crewmate. His bones and muscles stretched and popped, release washing over him. His secondary mouth opened, tongue unfurling, teeth flexing as it opened up to his ribcage. His third eye opened and his claws flexed, sharp and larger than before as he grew a little bit larger in size overall. 

"Thank you." He breathed. He felt so much better, stress relief in both physical and mental state. "Let's eat." He said and grabbed three pieces of pizza. He flicked his secondary tongue and pulled three other pieces into his secondary mouth. Chewing with his eyes closed, he nearly purred with happiness. The meal was amazing, just what he had needed. 

Baten laughed. "Hey Hungry Jack, save some for me." 

"Oh...mmm! Mmmy bad!" Jack said, covering his mouth with one hand as he pushed the pizza box in Baten's direction. 

Baten took a few slices and ate, smiling at him. "I am so glad to see you happy." He said. He dropped his usual strictness for a friendlier tone. "Would you be okay with me asking questions now?" 

Blackjack nodded. He felt so warm and happy. "Go ahead." 

"How did you become an Imposter?" Baten asked, eating slowly. 

"Oh. Remember when you nursed me back to health from the brink of death?" Jack said. It felt so weird to say it. "Well, the knife was poisoned with Dalton's venom. Because I survived, I started changing into a alien. However, I'm different than Dalton. I don't have the killer instincts, and that's for the best. I don't hunger for flesh or destruction. Although, I uh...I have strength I struggle to control. If I get stressed, I break things extremely easily. Did I ever tell you about the time I thought I could lift the admin table? I uh may or may not have tried to flip it over out of rage at the shit that is the damn cardswipe machine." Blackjack went on. He found himself rambling. 

Baten looked at him and laughed, a genuine laugh. "So that's what all the cussing was about." He said. 

Jack nodded, blushing in embarrassment. "I guess I do have a bit of a temper." He admitted. 

Baten shushed him. "Listen, we want you, flaws and all, on this ship. You are an asset to use, and a great person." He insisted. "Even if you are hella sus." He chuckled. "So...Dalton's murder attempt made you become an alien...what else should I know about?" 

Jack joked back. "Something's sus! But not me!" although he sobered quickly, swallowing as he felt himself go cold with fear at the memories resurfacing. What would Baten say when he knew? 

He sighed. He had to go through with it, there would be no more hiding from the truth. 

"Baten. Dalton didn't freeze in space. He didn't starve either." Jack felt his heart begin racing and his abdomen mouth bit onto the toolbelt, chewing it. Grinding the sharp teeth on the tools helped him when stressed. 

"Go on, Jack. It's okay." Baten said softly, reaching to place a hand on the demon man's shoulder. 

Jack steadied himself, steeling himself to look Baten in the face. "I killed Dalton. I was lost in rage. New to what I had been turned into, and I lost it when he attempted to kill Sky and then you. He told me that his plan was to murder and make prey out of everyone. I... I snapped his neck and left him for dead." Jack hurriedly spoke. After the words left him, he felt better. 

The demon man had been hiding the truth from others, and trying to make himself forget for a long time now. It felt better to release it, to be honest with himself and to his Captain. 

Baten let out a breath. "Jack. What you did was noble, you were protecting your crew, as a Captain would, so please don't hate yourself for doing a difficult thing. Death occurs in war. I cannot speak for the emotions you feel, but now that you know he died of a different cause, that was not your fault, you can let go of the guilt. It isn't your fault. I know you will heal, with time." Baten promised. 

Jack let himself cry. He jumped up from his spot and crashed into Baten. It was a bit awkward of a hug, given that Jack was larger than all crewmates, having a good four inches on them all, but he managed. 

"Jack, I am proud to call you crewmate. Thank you for saving us." Baten said, squeezing the demon. 

Jack was astonished as he squeezed back. Not only was Baten allowing him to be close, but he was actually bonding with him beyond being sarcastic. He was being wholly sincere and kind. It warmed Jack's heart. He had always hoped to please his Captain, and it seemed that he had succeeded. 

"What's next for us, Jack? You know more about this than I do." Baten said. 

"Of course. Let me fetch Sky, and we can devise a plan with your leadership." Jack said. 

After returning to the cafe, the three spent hours writing and planning their next move. If they were correct about their suspicions about Polus, they would need the crew's skills all together to succeed. 

Blackjack looked at Baten and Baten looked at him. Sky looked at them both. The three crewmembers, Black, Cyan and Lime all nodded solemnly. It was time to put the plan into action- as soon as the morning came and they arrived on Polus. 

For now, the crew would sleep. Blackjack crawled into bed, closed his eyes, and slipped into dreams of frozen wind and snow. 


	13. Stay Safe Out There...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew look for a cure on Polus. Seperated, they run into trouble with the MIRA team imposters.

"SHIT it's cold!" Vritra yelled over the wind as he stepped off the ship.

Blackjack looked at him. "Well no shit, Vritra, it's Polus, look!" He called back, gently grasping the dragon man's arm and pulling him closer to him. "Look!" He pointed again. He looked at the distant mountain range through the snow. "Watch your step." He said, glancing down at the cliff that suddenly dropped off into snow and darkness, only sharp rocks waiting below.

"God damn." Vritra swore. "It's cold." He added as he backed away from the dangerous cliff face.

Jack looked at him and chuckled. "Vritra why are you complaining when your coat isn't even zipped?"

"Oh." Vritra said and held his coat together, zipping it quickly. "Blackjack. How are you not cold without a coat?" He asked the demon.

Jack paced. They had been left here at the ship while Baten scouted ahead with Skylasha, and Figment and Mercury had split off a different direction. "I'm an imposter. I run hotter than I did before my DNA alteration." He explained, pacing towards a hole in the ground. "Is that a..." He started.

As he was leaning closer to investigate, there was a blur of movement and a furious dragon leaped free, landing on top of him.

"J-Jack! JAAAAACK!" Vritra screamed, pure terror in his voice.

Blackjack struggled to free himself of the dragon he looked up at. He knew immediately that it was a feral imposter, like Dalton. One of them that had the aggressive rages and hunger for crew flesh. The dragon glared down at him through a visor that was barely clinging to its face, its aquatic-adapted, purple and blue spotted muzzle rippling with nasty teeth and breath that reeked of decay.

 **"Lookit that, another imposter. Come to join us?"** The dragon rasped in Jack's face. The demon man hissed at the creature.

 **"Get OFF me!"** the demon man roared and using his unnatural strength, he tried to throw the dragon off of him. His voice deepened to the raspy growl.

"Jack!" Vritra cried out. "JACK HELP!"

Blackjack looked over and found the strength he needed to get the dragon off of him. Vritra was surrounded by three other imposters. Yellow, or Raja, and two that Blackjack didn't recognize. An Orange and a Blue.

Jack threw the dragon off of him, unable to help the satisfaction he felt as he heard the dragon smash into a nearby building and crumple to the snow. "HEY!"He yelled as he ran at the imposters that were surrounding his crewmate friend.

"JACK! HELP ME!" Vritra yelled.

Blackjack felt heat flood his veins, adrenaline heating him up. The snow didn't bother him much in the first place, but now he almost swore that it melted where he was touching it, his boots leaving bare, frosted grass patches where snow had been.

Giving in to the rage that he knew would lend him even more strength, Jack roared and slashed his claws at the Orange imposter. It was some kind of angel-demon bat, evident by the white bat wing, black-feathered wing, and the bat-nose. Jack's claws ripped through the front of the suit and tore into the other alien's fluff and velvety scales.

Vritra darted behind Jack, watching with wide eyes as the demon fought to protect him.

"Vritra." Jack panted, grappling with the Orange imposter as Blue stared and crouched to leap at Jack.

"J-Jack!" Vritra stuttered, terror in his eyes.

 **"You weren't supposed to make it out of MIRA alive."** Raja snarled. He darted at Vritra, who desperately tried to run.

Jack shoved Orange as hard as he could and grabbed for his toolbelt, unlatching it. He swung it high above his head and smashed it into Blue's visor. The small, wingless naga crumbled to the ground, out cold.

Jack held the tool belt at his side, selecting a tool. He couldn't miss. The demon lined up the wrench with where he wanted it to hit and whipped it at Raja. The demon naga screeched as the wrench snapped one of his horns with its force before going flying over the cliff face.

 **"YOU!"** Jack yelled, voice deepening. **"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"** He goaded.

Raja whipped around and hissed at him as purple blood poured from the broken horn, soaking the naga's hair and dripping onto his face and suit. **"Hhhhow are youuu alive?!"** He demanded.

Jack narrowed his eyes. **"Vritra RUN!"** He yelled, pointing.

Orange and Blue looked at the purple suited dragon man then back at Blackjack.

 **"Kill Blackjack."** Raja hissed furiously. **"He's been too much of a problem for us."** He pointed at Jack.

Vritra started to back away. "Jack." He whimpered.

Blackjack looked at him. **"Go."** He said, firmly. He put his toolbelt back on.

 **"If you think I'll let you hurt my friends you're sorely mistaken."** Blackjack said, squaring up to Raja.

Raja chuckled coldly. **"You had a chance to join us. We would have cured you. Now you'll die like the crew will soon."**

Blackjack snarled. **"You won't touch a single one of them."** He retorted. His eyes started to glow with chilly light as he rushed Raja, vision turning red.

Orange and Blue crashed into Jack, tag team attacking him. The demon shoved Blue with a shoulder rush and wasted no time watching them fall before spinning to claw Raja across the face with the full length of his claws. Orange bit Jack, serrated teeth trying to cut through his suit and the demon elbowed the angel demon in the chest, making him falter but not let go. Jack yanked free, hissing in pain but trusting his rapid healing ability. Orange came after him, jaws opening wide. The ripped mask tore further, falling apart so only the visor clung to the imposter's face.

Blackjack opened his own mouth, showing his rows of deadly teeth. He let out a furious hiss and launched himself at Orange. They both went crashing to the ground with Jack on top. The demon imposter bit into Orange's neck, claws pushing the other's away. The angel-demon kicked up at Jack, paws hooking in his belt and trying to both harm the demon man with hind claws as well as shove him off of him.

Blackjack's vision was so red that he saw everything through a haze. His memories flashed back to the night on the Skeld. Sky's wounded neck, Dalton yelling at Jack, Baten screaming as Dalton tried to kill him, the fear and anger the raptor imposter had sown among the crew. He remembered leaping out of the airlock without hesitation, putting an end to Dalton's horror story on the Skeld.

Jack bit deeper into Orange's neck, blood spraying over the angel demon's fluffy ruff and tattered orange spacesuit.

Blackjack knew he couldn't kill Orange, not after how he'd seen Dalton come back from a ripped throat, snapped neck and the freezing vacuum of space. The thought of this emboldened him. He could immobilize this imposter for now-

Something metal hit him hard in his right horn with a loud _PING!_ noise. The resounding crack reverberated through his skull, pain bursting through the horn's base. Jack faltered, head having been whipped to the side by the force.

That was enough time for Orange to throw him off and leap on top of him, claws ripping his well cared for black suit.

 **"Noooooo!"** Jack yelled in alarm as he lost control of the situation. Orange bit deep into Jack's shoulder again, making Jack screech this time. The snow beneath them seemed to steam and melt everywhere Jack touched. Upon arrival on Polus, his normal temperature had been climbing. He didn't know if it was an imposter thing, a demon thing, or both. Right now he was in too much pain to try to be scientific or logical about this.

 **"How's it feel, Jack?"** Raja chuckled. He glared down at the demon with a devilish grin caught between pissed off and pure evil delight. Purple blood was still running from his broken horn, his hair dripping from it and face spattered. He retrieved the metal piece he'd used to hit Jack in the head, lifting it. **"Do me a favor and stay dead this time, hmm Jack?"** He grinned, too wide for his face. He looked horrifying.

Jack struggled against Orange.

Blue.

Wait.

Where was Blue?

Blackjack heard a piercing scream. That was enough to make him fight harder. Adrenaline poured through his veins and he threw Orange off of him again. Wasting no time and ignoring the awful pain in his arm and shoulder and head, he charged Orange horns-down, headbutting the other imposter square in the chest.

Orange fell back without making a sound, crashing to the snow and bleeding out.

Jack growled, breath pouring out as steam in the freezing cold air. His hair blew in the wind as he stared at the fallen imposter. No time to see if Orange was down for the count. He had to go.

There was another scream, more desperate this time. Jack turned and went to run in that direction. Raja moved to get in the way and looked at Jack. **“Oh no you don’t.”** The naga laughed and launched at him. 

Jack tried to dodge but Raja was fast, crashing into him and wasting no time. The larger imposter, likely 5'0", was massive next to the typical crew. He was strong too, and his teeth felt like needles as he bit Jack in the neck. Venom poured into his body and he screamed. It felt like fire!

Jack froze, cries cutting to a whimpering. If he struggled, it would make his plight worse. The demon let himself go limp, boneless so Raja was forced to take all of his weight.

The naga let go, venom dribbling onto Jack's face as he dropped the demon.

 **"Let's go."** Raja snarled. **"That venom will make him feral and insane or kill him. Leave him for the snow to bury."** He snapped as he moved away.

Blackjack groaned, shivering as his body grew hotter and hotter. He'd felt warm since he'd got here, a new adaptation against the freezing weather, but now he felt like he had literally been set ablaze.

The demon heard the other imposters leaving, his perception of the world around him fractured and far away.

All he could feel was searing warmth as he tried to press himself deeper into the snow in an attempt to cool down. Steam rose around him as he lay there, the snow melting and creating more mist and steam as supernatural heat rose off of the injured demon's body. For a long moment, Jack seriously thought he was about to catch fire, but he didn't.

He buried his face into the melting snow and closed his eyes as his head grew hazier and coherent thoughts spilled to nothing but clouds of red.

Exhausted, the demon passed out as snow continued to fall from the sky, melting as it fell on the fallen demon as his world turned red and black, fading out.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, it is I, the self indulgent Venom writer. Lover of transformation and monster content! Who would have thought I'd become willing and wholeheartedly obsessed with Among Us? >:) 
> 
> Lemme know what you think in the comments!


End file.
